tart

Meanings

Adjective

  • Sharp to the taste; acid; sour.
  • high or too high in acidity.
  • Sharp; keen; severe.

Noun

  • A type of small open pie, or piece of pastry, containing jelly or conserve; a sort of fruit pie.
  • A prostitute.
  • By extension, any woman with loose sexual morals.

Verb

Related

Similar words

Origin

  • From Middle English tart, from Old English teart ("sharp, rough, severe"), from Proto-Germanic *tartaz ("rough, sharp, tearing"), from Proto-Germanic *teraną ("to tear"), from Proto-Indo-European *der- ("to flay, split, cleave"). Related to Dutch tarten ("to defy, challenge, mock"), German trotzen ("to defy, brave, mock"), German zart ("delicate, tender"), perhaps Albanian thartë ("sour, acid, sharp").
  • From Middle English tart, tarte, from Old French tarte, tartre (compare Medieval Latin tarta), of unknown origin. Perhaps an alteration of Old French torte, tourte, from Vulgar Latin *torta, from torta panis, from feminine of Latin tortus. Cognate to torta.
  • From sweetheart or jam tart by shortening

Modern English dictionary

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