a line of tape; spec. a strip of linen or steel marked with subdivisions of the foot or metre, sometimes coiling in a cylindrical case with a winch…

a measuring line of prepared tape, marked with feet and inches, etc., esp. one of five or six feet long used by tailors, dressmakers, etc.; also as v.…

= inch-rule n.

(a) a measuring tape made of steel; †(b) tape made of steel for use as a recording medium (obsolete).