Tartar

views updated Jun 27 2018

Tar·tar / ˈtärtər/ • n. hist. a member of the combined forces of central Asian peoples, including Mongols and Turks, who under the leadership of Genghis Khan conquered much of Asia and eastern Europe in the early 13th century, and under Tamerlane (14th century) established an empire with its capital at Samarkand. See also Tatar. ∎  (tartar) a harsh, fierce, or intractable person: "Merciful God! but you're a tartar, miss!" said the sheriff, ruefully.DERIVATIVES: Tar·tar·i·an / tärˈte(ə)rēən/ adj.

tartar

views updated May 18 2018

tar·tar / ˈtärtər/ • n. a hard calcified deposit that forms on the teeth and contributes to their decay. ∎  a deposit of impure potassium hydrogen tartrate formed during the fermentation of wine. See also cream of tartar.DERIVATIVES: tar·tar·ic / tärˈtarik/ adj.

Tartar

views updated Jun 27 2018

Tartar a member of the combined forces of central Asian peoples, including Mongols and Turks, who under the leadership of Genghis Khan conquered much of Asia and eastern Europe in the early 13th century, and under Tamerlane (14th century) established an empire with its capital at Samarkand.

tartar

views updated May 29 2018

tartar Hard gritty deposit of plaque and minerals that accumulates on and between teeth. Originally the name given by alchemists to animal and vegetable concretions, such as wine lees, stone, gravel, and deposits on teeth, since they were all attributed to the same cause.

tartar

views updated Jun 11 2018

tartar deposit of acid potassium tartrate adhering to the sides of wine casks. XIV. — medL. tartarum — medGr. tártaron, or unkn. orig.
Hence (or — F.) tartaric XVIII.

tartar

views updated May 14 2018

tartar (tar-ter) n. an obsolete name for calculus, the hard deposit that forms on the teeth.