tar·zan \ˈtärzən, ˈtȧz- also -ˌzan or -ˌzaan(ə)n\noun (-s) Usage: usually capitalized Etymology: from Tarzan, hero of the adventure stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs died 1950 American writer : a strong agile person of heroic proportions and bearing < a chimpanzee can easily run away … and once in the trees, no human Tarzan is half a match for it — Weston La Barre >