Dictionary.com

tart

1
[ tahrt ]
/ tɑrt /
See synonyms for: tart / tartness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, tart·er, tart·est.

sharp to the taste; sour or acid: Tart apples are best for pie.
sharp in character, spirit, or expression; cutting; biting: a tart remark.

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Origin of tart

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English teart “sharp, rough”; akin to Dutch tarten “to defy,” Middle High German traz “defiance”

OTHER WORDS FROM tart

tartish, adjectivetart·ish·ly, adverbtartly, adverbtartness, noun

Definition for tart (2 of 2)

tart2
[ tahrt ]
/ tɑrt /

noun

a small pie filled with cooked fruit or other sweetened preparation, usually having no top crust.
a covered pie containing fruit or the like.
Slang. a prostitute or promiscuous woman.

Verb Phrases

tart up, Slang. to adorn, dress, or decorate, especially in a flamboyant manner: The old restaurant was tarted up to look like a Viennese café.

Origin of tart

2
1350–1400; 1905–10 for def. 3; Middle English tarte<Middle French; compare Medieval Latin tarta
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to tart

dry, short, astringent, cutting, caustic, sharp, acid, wounding, bun, roll, pie, eclair, popover, turnover, acerbic, acidulous, acrimonious, barbed, biting, harsh

Example sentences from the Web for tart

British Dictionary definitions for tart (1 of 3)

tart1
/ (tɑːt) /

noun

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

Word Origin for tart

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

British Dictionary definitions for tart (2 of 3)

tart2
/ (tɑːt) /

adjective

(of a flavour, food, etc) sour, acid, or astringent
cutting, sharp, or caustica tart remark

Derived forms of tart

tartish, adjectivetartishly, adverbtartly, adverbtartness, noun

Word Origin for tart

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

British Dictionary definitions for tart (3 of 3)

tart3
/ (tɑːt) /

noun

informal a promiscuous woman, esp a prostitute: often a term of abuseSee also tart up

Derived forms of tart

tarty, adjective

Word Origin for tart

C19: shortened from sweetheart
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