Link Centre Dictionary

tart

UK/tɑːt/ US/tɑɹt/ fairly common slang uk
adjective (2) noun (3)

adjective

1.
2.

harsh

  • “sharp criticism”
  • “a sharp-worded exchange”
  • “a tart remark”
Synonyms
Similar

noun

1.
2.
3.

pastry cup with a filling of fruit or custard and no top crust

Origin

From Middle English tart, from Old English teart (“sharp, rough, severe”), from Proto-West Germanic *tart, from Proto-Germanic *tartaz (“rough, sharp, tearing”), from Proto-Germanic *teraną (“to tear”), from Proto-Indo-European *der- (“to flay, split, cleave”). Related to Scots tairt (“tart; tartness”), Dutch tarten (“to defy, challenge, mock”), German trotzen (“to defy, brave, mock”), perhaps Albanian thartë (“sour, acid, sharp”).

Phrases

  • Bakewell tart
  • Banbury tart
  • butter tart
  • card tart
  • cart tart
  • chess tart
  • credit card tart
  • custard tart
  • egg custard tart
  • egg tart
  • gooseberry tart
  • pop tart

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.