tartar

See also: Tartar, tàrtar, and tårtar

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) enPR: tärʹ-tər, IPA^(key): /ˈtɑɹ.tɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: tärʹ-tər, IPA^(key): /ˈtɑː.tə/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)tə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: tar‧tar
• Homophone: tarter

Etymology 1

From Old French tartre, from Medieval Latin tartarum, from Byzantine Greek τάρταρον (tártaron), said to be from Arabic دُرْدِيّ (durdiyy), though it is already found in Pelagonius’s Ars veterinaria 46 in the adjective tartarālis, if the reading is correct.

Noun

tartar (countable and uncountable, plural tartars)

1. A red compound deposited during wine making; mostly potassium hydrogen tartrate — a source of cream of tartar.
2. A hard yellow deposit on the teeth, formed from dental plaque.

Derived terms

• cream of tartar
• cream of tartar bread
• salt of tartar
• tartar emetic
• tartarous

Translations

red compound deposited during wine making

• Bulgarian: винен камък m (vinen kamǎk)
• Catalan: tàrtar (ca) m, tartrà (ca) m
• Finnish: viinikivi
• French: tartre (fr) m
• Galician: sarro m, sarrio (gl) m, madre (gl) f
• German: Weinstein (de) m
• Italian: gruma f, tartaro (it) m, taso
• Latin: faecula f
• Persian: درد (fa) (dord)
• Polish: kamień winny (pl) m
• Spanish: tártaro (es) m

hard yellow deposit on the teeth — see dental calculus

Etymology 2

From figurative use of Tartar.

Noun

tartar (plural tartars)

1. (dated) A fearsome or angrily violent person.
   • 1929, Dashiell Hammett, chapter 3, in The Dain Curse‎^[1], New York: Vintage, published 1972, page 28:

     Mrs. Begg said she liked Mrs. Dain, who was a sensible woman and a first-rate housewife, but that Gabrielle was a tartar.

Derived terms

• tartar sauce

Finnish

Etymology

From French tartare.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɑrtɑr/, [ˈt̪ɑ̝rt̪ɑ̝r]
• Rhymes: -ɑrtɑr
• Hyphenation^(key): tar‧tar

Adjective

tartar (not comparable)

1. tartare (chopped fine and served raw)

   tartar-pihvi

   steak tartare

Declension

Not inflected; used only as modifier.

Derived terms

compounds

• tartar-kastike
• tartarkastike
• tartarvoileipä

Noun

tartar

1. A dish prepared with finely chopped, raw ingredients; in English the names of these dishes are formed with the adjective "tartare".

   Alkupalaksi tarjottiin lohitartaria.

   A salmon tartare was served as appetizer.

Declension

Inflection of tartar (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		tartar	tartarit
genitive		tartarin	tartarien
partitive		tartaria	tartareja
illative		tartariin	tartareihin
		singular	plural
nominative		tartar	tartarit
accusative	nom.	tartar	tartarit
	gen.	tartarin
genitive		tartarin	tartarien
partitive		tartaria	tartareja
inessive		tartarissa	tartareissa
elative		tartarista	tartareista
illative		tartariin	tartareihin
adessive		tartarilla	tartareilla
ablative		tartarilta	tartareilta
allative		tartarille	tartareille
essive		tartarina	tartareina
translative		tartariksi	tartareiksi
abessive		tartaritta	tartareitta
instructive		—	tartarein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of tartar (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative tartarini tartarini accusative nom. tartarini tartarini gen. tartarini genitive tartarini tartarieni partitive tartariani tartarejani inessive tartarissani tartareissani elative tartaristani tartareistani illative tartariini tartareihini adessive tartarillani tartareillani ablative tartariltani tartareiltani allative tartarilleni tartareilleni essive tartarinani tartareinani translative tartarikseni tartareikseni abessive tartarittani tartareittani instructive — — comitative — tartareineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative tartarisi tartarisi accusative nom. tartarisi tartarisi gen. tartarisi genitive tartarisi tartariesi partitive tartariasi tartarejasi inessive tartarissasi tartareissasi elative tartaristasi tartareistasi illative tartariisi tartareihisi adessive tartarillasi tartareillasi ablative tartariltasi tartareiltasi allative tartarillesi tartareillesi essive tartarinasi tartareinasi translative tartariksesi tartareiksesi abessive tartarittasi tartareittasi instructive — — comitative — tartareinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative tartarimme tartarimme accusative nom. tartarimme tartarimme gen. tartarimme genitive tartarimme tartariemme partitive tartariamme tartarejamme inessive tartarissamme tartareissamme elative tartaristamme tartareistamme illative tartariimme tartareihimme adessive tartarillamme tartareillamme ablative tartariltamme tartareiltamme allative tartarillemme tartareillemme essive tartarinamme tartareinamme translative tartariksemme tartareiksemme abessive tartarittamme tartareittamme instructive — — comitative — tartareinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative tartarinne tartarinne accusative nom. tartarinne tartarinne gen. tartarinne genitive tartarinne tartarienne partitive tartarianne tartarejanne inessive tartarissanne tartareissanne elative tartaristanne tartareistanne illative tartariinne tartareihinne adessive tartarillanne tartareillanne ablative tartariltanne tartareiltanne allative tartarillenne tartareillenne essive tartarinanne tartareinanne translative tartariksenne tartareiksenne abessive tartarittanne tartareittanne instructive — — comitative — tartareinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative tartarinsa tartarinsa accusative nom. tartarinsa tartarinsa gen. tartarinsa genitive tartarinsa tartariensa partitive tartariaan tartariansa tartarejaan tartarejansa inessive tartarissaan tartarissansa tartareissaan tartareissansa elative tartaristaan tartaristansa tartareistaan tartareistansa illative tartariinsa tartareihinsa adessive tartarillaan tartarillansa tartareillaan tartareillansa ablative tartariltaan tartariltansa tartareiltaan tartareiltansa allative tartarilleen tartarillensa tartareilleen tartareillensa essive tartarinaan tartarinansa tartareinaan tartareinansa translative tartarikseen tartariksensa tartareikseen tartareiksensa abessive tartarittaan tartarittansa tartareittaan tartareittansa instructive — — comitative — tartareineen tartareinensa

Anagrams

• tarrat

Italian

Noun

tartar f (invariable)

1. Alternative form of tartare

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French Tartare.

Adjective

tartar m (feminine singular tartare, masculine plural tartars, feminine plural tartares)

1. Tartar (of or relating to any of several Turkic groups)

Descendants

• French: tartare

References

• tartare on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330–1500) (in French)

Old Irish

Verb

·tartar

1. passive singular present subjunctive perfective prototonic of do·beir

Mutation

Mutation of tartar

radical	lenition	nasalization
·tartar	·thartar	·tartar pronounced with /-d(ʲ)-/

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Church Slavonic тарътаръ (tarŭtarŭ), from Ancient Greek Τάρταρος (Tártaros). Doublet of Tartarus.

Noun

tartar n (plural tartaruri)

1. hell

Declension

Declension of tartar

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	tartar	tartarul		tartaruri	tartarurile
genitive-dative	tartar	tartarului		tartaruri	tartarurilor
vocative	tartarule			tartarurilor

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from French (bifteck) tartare.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /taɾˈtaɾ/ [t̪aɾˈt̪aɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: tar‧tar

Noun

tartar m (plural tartares)

1. tartar

Further reading

• “tartar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10