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tartar

[ tahr-ter ]
/ ˈtɑr tər /
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noun
Dentistry. calculus (def. 3).
the deposit from wines, potassium bitartrate.
the intermediate product of cream of tartar, obtained from the crude form, argol.
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Origin of tartar

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

Other definitions for tartar (2 of 3)

Tartar1
[ tahr-ter ]
/ ˈtɑr tər /

noun
adjective
of or relating to a Tartar or Tartars; Tartarian.
Also Tatar (for defs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 8).

Origin of Tartar

1
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

OTHER WORDS FROM Tartar

Tar·tar·ly, adverb

Other definitions for tartar (3 of 3)

Tartar2
[ tahr-ter ]
/ ˈtɑr tər /

noun Obsolete.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tartar in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tartar (1 of 3)

tartar1
/ (ˈtɑːtə) /

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

Word Origin for tartar

C14: from Medieval Latin tartarum, from Medieval Greek tartaron

British Dictionary definitions for tartar (2 of 3)

tartar2
/ (ˈtɑːtə) /

noun
(sometimes capital) a fearsome or formidable person

Word Origin for tartar

C16: special use of Tartar

British Dictionary definitions for tartar (3 of 3)

Tartar
/ (ˈtɑːtə) /

noun, adjective
a variant spelling of Tatar
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for tartar

tartar
[ tĂ€râ€Čtər ]

A hard yellowish deposit on the teeth, consisting of organic secretions and food particles deposited in various salts, such as calcium carbonate.
A reddish acid compound consisting of a tartrate of potassium, found in the juice of grapes and deposited on the sides of wine casks.
The American HeritageŸ Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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