male turkey
"The tom strutted proudly across the yard to show off his feathers to the hens."
The male of the domesticated cat.
"She wore her grandmother's tom to the wedding ceremony."
A tomato (the fruit).
jewellery
In plain English: A tom is an adult male cat that hasn't been neutered.
"The tom cat prowled around the garden at night."
To act in an obsequiously servile manner toward white authority.
"The chief mate ordered the crew to tom ballast into the hold before making final adjustments to the ship's list."
To dig out a hole below the hatch cover of a bulker and fill it with cargo or weights to aid stability.
In plain English: To tom means to act like a girl or woman, usually by wearing feminine clothing or makeup.
"I need to get some sleep before I start to tom around the house in the morning."
Usage: Use this verb to describe someone acting with exaggerated, submissive deference specifically toward figures of white power or authority. It is often applied critically to highlight the performative nature of such behavior rather than genuine respect.
A diminutive of the male given name Thomas, also used as a formal male given name.
"The ancient church tower rang out its massive tom to signal noon across the entire valley."
A large, deep-toned bell, or a particularly notable example of one.
The word "tom" comes directly from the common usage of the male given name Tom. It entered English as a standalone term rather than evolving from an older meaning or compound structure.