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tartness

 - 3 dictionary results

tart

1  [tahrt] ,
Use tartness in a Sentence
–adjective, -er, -est.
1. sharp to the taste; sour or acid: tart apples.
2. sharp in character, spirit, or expression; cutting; caustic: a tart remark.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE teart sharp, rough; akin to D tarten to defy, MHG traz defiance

Related forms:
tartish, adjective
tart⋅ish⋅ly, adverb
tartly, adverb
tartness, noun

Synonyms:
2. barbed, biting.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tart 1   (tärt)   
adj.   tart·er, tart·est

  1. Having a sharp pungent taste; sour. See Synonyms at sour.

  2. Sharp or bitter in tone or meaning; cutting.


[Middle English, from Old English teart, severe; see der- in Indo-European roots.]
tart'ly adv., tart'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

tart  (adj.)
"having a sharp taste," c.1386, 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 1601.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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