tart
pronunciation
How to pronounce tart in British English:
UK [tɑ:t]
How to pronounce tart in American English:
US [tɑrt]
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- Noun:
- a woman who engages in sexual intercourse for money
- a small open pie with a fruit filling
- pastry cup with a filling of fruit or custard and no top crust
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- Adjective:
- tasting sour like a lemon
- harsh
Word Origin
- tart (adj.)
- "having a sharp taste," 1520s, also attested once, obscurely, from late 14c., perhaps from Old English teart "painful, sharp, severe, rough" (in reference to punishment, pain, suffering), from Germanic *ter-t-, from PIE *der- (2) "to split, flay, peel" (see tear (v.1)), but the gap in the record is unexplained. Figurative use, with reference to words, speech, etc., is attested from c. 1600. Related: Tartly; tartness, both also absent in Middle English.
- tart (n.1)
- "small pie," late 14c., from Old French tarte "flat, open-topped pastry" (13c.), possibly an alteration of torte, from Late Latin torta "round loaf of bread" (in Medieval Latin "a cake, tart"), perhaps from past participle of torquere "to twist."
- tart (n.2)
- 1887, "prostitute, immoral woman," from earlier use as a term of endearment to a girl or woman (1864), sometimes said to be a shortening of sweetheart. But another theory traces it to jam-tart (see tart (n.1)), which was British slang early 19c. for "attractive woman." Diminutive tartlet attested from 1890. To tart (something) up is from 1938. Related: Tarted.
Example
- 1. A dish may be savory , sweet , tart or piquant .
- 2. It 's what makes it impossible for some people to pass by the neighborhood bakery without going in to buy a tart .
- 3. The findings add to the growing body of evidence that illustrates the amazing healing power of tart cherries .
- 4. The solution : tart cherries-one cup , or two glasses of juice , daily , before
- 5. Further investigations revealed that daily consumption of tart cherries has the potential to reduce the pain associated with joint inflammation .