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• tartar
  tartar

  noun

  calculus.
• Tartar
  Tartar

  noun

  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.

tartar

¹ American  

[tahr-ter] / ˈtɑr tər /

noun

1. Dentistry. calculus.

2. the deposit from wines, potassium bitartrate.

3. the intermediate product of cream of tartar, obtained from the crude form, argol.

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Tartar ² American  

[tahr-ter] / ˈtɑr tər /

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.

4. (often lowercase) a savage, intractable person.

5. (often lowercase) an ill-tempered person.

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adjective

1. of or relating to a Tartar or Tartars; Tartarian.

2. Tatar.

idioms

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

Tartar ³ American  

[tahr-ter] / ˈtɑr tər /

noun

Obsolete.

1. Tartarus.

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Tartar ¹ British  

/ ˈtɑːtə /

noun

1. a variant spelling of Tatar

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tartar ² British  

/ ˈtɑːtə /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) a fearsome or formidable person

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tartar ³ British  

/ ˈtɑːtə /

noun

1. dentistry a hard crusty deposit on the teeth, consisting of food, cellular debris, and mineral salts

2. Also called: argol.  a brownish-red substance consisting mainly of potassium hydrogen tartrate, present in grape juice and deposited during the fermentation of wine

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tartar Scientific  

/ 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.

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Other Word Forms

• Tartarly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of tartar¹

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

Origin of Tartar²

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

Explanation

Tartar is the buildup of plaque that can form on your teeth and cause cavities. If you become a dentist one day, part of your job will be scraping tartar off people's teeth. Tartar is a very hard substance, too hard to be brushed off with a toothbrush. It's formed when certain elements in saliva mix with the plaque that commonly occurs on teeth. Another kind of tartar is known as "cream of tartar," and it's a common ingredient in baking, either alone or as an ingredient in baking powder. The Greek root refers to this baking tartar, tartaron, "substance encrusting the sides of wine casks."

Example Sentences

There’s also the meringue, which calls for four: egg whites, cream of tartar, sugar and a pinch of salt.

From Salon • May 10, 2026

More than a thousand microfossils were recovered from the tartar.

From Science Daily • Nov. 14, 2025

The hotel’s front patio serves as outdoor dining space for Cafe Fig, a popular all-day Mediterranean restaurant featuring dishes like cauliflower bites, tuna tartar tostadas and truffle fries.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2024

Those who appreciate the minty mushy peas will wish for more than the small dollop provided; ditto the housemade tartar sauce.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 8, 2023

“Now put it back in the bucket. Grammy will make some great crab cakes out of it. With extra tartar sauce. You’ll love them.”

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt