tartan
tar·tan (tärt′'n)
noun
- woolen cloth with a woven pattern of straight lines of different colors and widths crossing at right angles, esp. as worn in the Scottish Highlands, where each clan has its own pattern
- any plaid cloth like this
- any tartan pattern
- a garment made of tartan
Etymology: prob. < MFr tiretaine, a cloth of mixed fibers < OFr tiret, a kind of cloth < tire, cloth (of silk) from the East < ML tyrius, material from Tyre < L Tyrus, Tyre; sp. infl. by ME tartarin, a rich material < MFr (drap) tartarin, Tartar (cloth)
adjective
tar·tan (tärt′'n)
noun
Etymology: Fr tartane < It tartana, prob. ult. < Ar tarrād (colloquial form taṭrīda), small, swift kind of ship
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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