tart

¹

[tahrt]

adjective

tarter, tartest 

1. sharp to the taste; sour or acid.

   Tart apples are best for pie.

   Synonyms: piquant, acrid, astringent
   Antonyms: mellow, bland, sugary, sweet

2. sharp in character, spirit, or expression; cutting; biting.

   a tart remark.

   Synonyms: acrimonious, acerbic, caustic, barbed, sarcastic
   Antonyms: benign, gracious, gentle, kind, sweet

tart

²

[tahrt]

noun

1. a small pie filled with cooked fruit or other sweetened preparation, usually having no top crust.

2. a covered pie containing fruit or the like.

3. Slang.,  a prostitute or sexually promiscuous woman.

verb phrase

1. tart up,  to adorn, dress, or decorate, especially in a flamboyant manner.

   The old restaurant was tarted up to look like a Viennese café.

tart

¹

/ tɑːt /

adjective

1. (of a flavour, food, etc) sour, acid, or astringent

2. cutting, sharp, or caustic

   a tart remark

tart

²

/ tɑːt /

noun

1. a pastry case often having no top crust, with a sweet or savoury filling

tart

³

/ tɑːt /

noun

1. informal,  a promiscuous woman, esp a prostitute: often a term of abuse See also tart up

Other Word Forms

• tartish adjective
• tartishly adverb
• tartly adverb
• tartness noun
• tarty adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tart¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English teart “sharp, rough”; akin to Dutch tarten “to defy,” Middle High German traz “defiance”

Origin of tart²

First recorded in 1350–1400; 1905–10 tart ² for def. 3; Middle English tarte, from Middle French; compare Medieval Latin tarta

Word History and Origins

Origin of tart¹

Old English teart rough; related to Dutch tarten to defy, Middle High German traz defiance

Origin of tart²

C14: from Old French tarte, of uncertain origin; compare Medieval Latin tarte

Origin of tart³

C19: shortened from _sweetheart

Example Sentences

As described by TJ’s, this relish is brimming with “bright, tart, vibrant” flavors that bring “a new wave of relish to Thanksgiving meals everywhere.”

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A complex cider with enough of a tart kick to enliven any cocktail hour.

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They’re brimming with juice, a delicious medley of sweet, fragrant and mildly tart flavors.

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Pumpkin cake layered with a tart cream-cheese ganache, dipped in white chocolate and painted in orange sugar, from a celebrated confectioner.

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Most people watch “Downton” for the tart, gently comedic exchanges and adorably antiquated decorum.

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