tartar

[ tahr-ter ]

noun
  1. Dentistry. calculus (def. 3).

  2. the deposit from wines, potassium bitartrate.

  1. the intermediate product of cream of tartar, obtained from the crude form, argol.

Origin of tartar

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Medieval Latin tartarum<Late Greek tártaron; replacing Middle English tartre<Middle French <Medieval Latin, as above

Other definitions for Tartar (2 of 3)

Tartar1
[ tahr-ter ]

noun
  1. a member of any of the various tribes, chiefly Mongolian and Turkish, who, originally under the leadership of Genghis Khan, overran Asia and much of eastern Europe in the Middle Ages.

  2. a member of the descendants of this people variously intermingled with other peoples and tribes, now inhabiting parts of the European and western and central Asian Russian Federation.

  1. (often lowercase) a savage, intractable person.

  2. (often lowercase) an ill-tempered person.

adjective
  1. of or relating to a Tartar or Tartars; Tartarian.

Origin of Tartar

2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin Tartarus, perhaps variant of Tātārus (unattested), from Persian Tātār, by association with Tartarus; replacing Middle English Tartre, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin, as above
  • Also Tatar (for defs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 8).

Other words from Tartar

  • Tar·tar·ly, adverb

Other definitions for Tartar (3 of 3)

Tartar2
[ tahr-ter ]

nounObsolete.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tartar in a sentence

  • The Tartars belong more especially to two distinct races, the Caucasian and the Mongolian.

    Michael Strogoff | Jules Verne
  • Thou wilt have to traverse a rebellious country, invaded by Tartars, whose interest it will be to intercept this letter.

    Michael Strogoff | Jules Verne

British Dictionary definitions for tartar (1 of 3)

tartar1

/ (ˈtɑːtə) /


noun
  1. dentistry a hard crusty deposit on the teeth, consisting of food, cellular debris, and mineral salts

  2. Also called: argol a brownish-red substance consisting mainly of potassium hydrogen tartrate, present in grape juice and deposited during the fermentation of wine

Origin of tartar

1
C14: from Medieval Latin tartarum, from Medieval Greek tartaron

British Dictionary definitions for tartar (2 of 3)

tartar2

/ (ˈtɑːtə) /


noun
  1. (sometimes capital) a fearsome or formidable person

Origin of tartar

2
C16: special use of Tartar

British Dictionary definitions for Tartar (3 of 3)

Tartar

/ (ˈtɑːtə) /


noun, adjective
  1. a variant spelling of Tatar

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for tartar

tartar

[ tärtər ]


  1. A hard yellowish deposit on the teeth, consisting of organic secretions and food particles deposited in various salts, such as calcium carbonate.

  2. A reddish acid compound consisting of a tartrate of potassium, found in the juice of grapes and deposited on the sides of wine casks.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.