Tartar

¹

[ 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.
3. Tatar ( defs 1, 2, 3 ).
4. (often lowercase) a savage, intractable person.
5. (often lowercase) an ill-tempered person.

adjective

1. of or relating to a Tartar or Tartars; Tartarian.
2. Tatar ( def 5 ).

Tartar

²

[ tahr-ter ]

noun

, Obsolete.

1. Tartarus.

tartar

³

[ tahr-ter ]

noun

1. Dentistry. calculus ( def 3 ).
2. the deposit from wines, potassium bitartrate.
3. the intermediate product of cream of tartar, obtained from the crude form, argol.

Tartar

¹

/ ˈtɑːtə /

noun

1. a variant spelling of Tatar

tartar

²

/ ˈtɑːtə /

noun

1. dentistry a hard crusty deposit on the teeth, consisting of food, cellular debris, and mineral salts
2. Also calledargol a brownish-red substance consisting mainly of potassium hydrogen tartrate, present in grape juice and deposited during the fermentation of wine

tartar

³

/ ˈtɑːtə /

noun

1. sometimes capital a fearsome or formidable person

tartar

/ tär′tər /

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.

Other Words From

• Tartar·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of Tartar¹

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

Origin of Tartar²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Tartar¹

C14: from Medieval Latin tartarum, from Medieval Greek tartaron

Origin of Tartar²

C16: special use of Tartar

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. catch a Tartar, to deal with someone or something that proves unexpectedly troublesome or powerful. Also catch a tartar.

Example Sentences

Their “Threepenny” selections in particular demonstrated how best to balance the piece’s infectious melodies and bitter texts: Gerstein’s playing buoyant and dancing, Gruber’s semi-Sprechstimme snarling, with wickedly rolling R’s on phrases like “Beefsteak Tartar.”

From New York Times

“Last Sentinel” may remind fans of literary fiction of the Dino Buzzati novel “The Tartar Steppe,” which painted the existential futility of a remote outpost waiting in vain for the enemy to show up.

From New York Times

A murky militant group that combines Ukrainians and Tartars from occupied Crimea claimed responsibility for the attack, as it has in the previous two targeted bombings, but presented no evidence.

From New York Times

He gave the pope a gift that needed no interpretation: a facsimile of a letter that 13th century King Bela IV sent to Pope Innocent IV asking for help in fighting the Tartars.

From Reuters

In the southern Astrakhan region, for example, about “75% of casualties come from the minority Kazakh and Tartar populations.”

From Seattle Times