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

In the longer term, she sees big strides in preventing tartar build-up and halting receding gums.

From The Daily Beast

To assemble taco place escabeche, fish and tartar sauce in a tortilla and garnish with cilantro and lime.

From The Daily Beast

For tartar sauce combine diced onions and jalapenos with mayo and mix well.

From The Daily Beast

Try adding a pinch of cream of tartar to the whites for a similar effect.

From The Daily Beast

Dissolve the sugar, water and cream of tartar in a saucepan over a low heat.

From The Daily Beast

If thus used two or three days in succession it will effectually loosen tartar, even of long standing.

From Project Gutenberg

A simple mixture of charcoal and cream of tartar is an excellent tooth-powder.

From Project Gutenberg

A carriage forcibly stopped in the Rue Royale, and in broad daylight—only this Tartar would have dared such a stroke as that!

From Project Gutenberg

Twelve hundred of them did better service against the Tartar than twelve thousand Russians with their short bows and arrows.

From Project Gutenberg

Osman, the ruling bashaw, although a Turk, was a regular Tartar to deal with.

From Project Gutenberg