adjective, tart·er, tart·est.
1.
sharp to the taste; sour or acid: Tart apples are best for pie. Synonyms: astringent, acrid, piquant. Antonyms: sweet, sugary, bland, mellow.
2.
sharp in character, spirit, or expression; cutting; biting: a tart remark. Synonyms: sarcastic, barbed, caustic, acerbic, acrimonious. Antonyms: sweet, kind, gentle, gracious, benign.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English; Old English teart sharp, rough; akin to Dutch tarten to defy, Middle High German traz defiance
before 1000; Middle English; Old English teart sharp, rough; akin to Dutch tarten to defy, Middle High German traz defiance
Related forms
tart·ish, adjective
tart·ish·ly, adverb
tart·ly, adverb
tart·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
Verb phrases 1.
a small pie filled with cooked fruit or other sweetened preparation, usually having no top crust.
2.
a covered pie containing fruit or the like.
3.
Slang. a prostitute or promiscuous woman.
4.
tart up, Slang. to adorn, dress, or decorate, especially in a flamboyant manner: The old restaurant was tarted up to look like a Viennese café.
Origin:
1350–1400; 1905–10 for def 3; Middle English tarte < Middle French; compare Medieval Latin tarta
1350–1400; 1905–10 for def 3; Middle English tarte < Middle French; compare Medieval Latin tarta
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To tart
00:10
Tart
is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
tart1 (tɑːt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| a pastry case often having no top crust, with a sweet or savoury filling | |
| [C14: from Old French tarte, of uncertain origin; compare Medieval Latin tarte] | |
| tart2 (tɑːt) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | (of a flavour, food, etc) sour, acid, or astringent |
| 2. | cutting, sharp, or caustic: a tart remark |
| [Old English teart rough; related to Dutch tarten to defy, Middle High German traz defiance] | |
| 'tartish2 | |
| —adj | |
| 'tartishly2 | |
| —adv | |
| 'tartly2 | |
| —adv | |
| 'tartness2 | |
| —n | |
| tart3 (tɑːt) | |
| —n | |
| informal See also tart up a promiscuous woman, esp a prostitute: often a term of abuse | |
| [C19: shortened from | |
| 'tarty3 | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tart
"having a sharp taste," late 14c., perhaps from O.E. teart "painful, sharp, severe" (in ref. to punishment, pain, suffering), of unknown origin; possibly related to the root of teran "to tear." Fig. use, with ref. to words, speech, etc., is attested from c.1600.
tart
"small pie," c.1400, from O.Fr. tarte "flat, open-topped pastry" (13c.), possibly an alteration of torte, from L.L. torta "round loaf of bread" (in M.L. "a cake, tart"), infl. in M.E. by tart (adj.).
tart
"prostitute," 1887, from earlier use as a term of endearment to a girl or woman (1864), sometimes said to be a shortening of sweetheart. But another theory traces it to jam-tart (see tart (n.1)), which was British slang early 19c. for "attractive woman." To tart (something) up is from 1938.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Roll out pastry, line tart pan with the pastry and cover the pastry with foil.
If tart begins to brown too much on top, cover lightly with foil.
The simple and tasty salt-and-pepper crust of this tart is worth making from scratch.
To prepare filling, mix all ingredients and fill tart shells.
Nearby Words
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