tartar
Dentistry. calculus (def. 3).
the deposit from wines, potassium bitartrate.
the intermediate product of cream of tartar, obtained from the crude form, argol.
Origin of tartar
1Other definitions for Tartar (2 of 3)
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.
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.
(often lowercase) a savage, intractable person.
(often lowercase) an ill-tempered person.
of or relating to a Tartar or Tartars; Tartarian.
Origin of Tartar
2- Also Tatar (for defs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 8).
Other words from Tartar
- Tar·tar·ly, adverb
Other definitions for Tartar (3 of 3)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use tartar in a sentence
A large number of Tartars only returned to Crimea in the 1980s.
Glory to Ukraine” (shouted by Tartars) competed with “Russia!
After we had passed over this desert, we found several garisons to defend the caravans from the violence of the Tartars.
Moscow burnt by the Tartars, who had surrounded the city, and set it on fire at all points.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellAs respects order and management in household matters, I have an idea that you bachelors are not much superior to the Tartars.
Alone | Marion Harland
The Tartars belong more especially to two distinct races, the Caucasian and the Mongolian.
Michael Strogoff | Jules VerneThou 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)
/ (ˈtɑːtə) /
dentistry a hard crusty deposit on the teeth, consisting of food, cellular debris, and mineral salts
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
1British Dictionary definitions for tartar (2 of 3)
/ (ˈtɑːtə) /
(sometimes capital) a fearsome or formidable person
Origin of tartar
2British Dictionary definitions for Tartar (3 of 3)
/ (ˈtɑːtə) /
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
[ tär′tər ]
A hard yellowish deposit on the teeth, consisting of organic secretions and food particles deposited in various salts, such as calcium carbonate.
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.
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