Meanings
tart1
comparative tarter · superlative tartest
- Sharp to the taste; acid; sour.
I ate a very tart apple.
- figurativelySharp; keen; severe.
He gave me a very tart reply.
1 more example
[French president Emmanuel] Macron fired back [at US president Donald Trump] on Thursday with his own tart riposte, telling journalists, “This is not a show. We are talking about war and peace. ... When you want to be serious,” he continued, “you don’t say every day the opposite of what you said the day before.”
2026 April 5, Howard LaFranchi, “Trump’s war in Iran puts new strain on alliances. Why this time it’s different.”, in The Christian Science Monitor, Boston, Massachusetts: Christian Science Publishing Society, →ISSN, →OCLC
tart2
tart3
plural tarts
- UKslangA prostitute.
- broadlyderogatoryslangAny woman with loose sexual morals.
We know the majority of the places that these tarts will hang out at.
1950, Roy E. Blick (police inspector), testimony before the United States Congress3 more examples
In the garden I was playing the tart / I kissed your lips and broke your heart
1991, “Until the End of the World”, in Bono (lyrics), Achtung Baby, performed by U2The NYU [New York University] tarts and the club slime, the art holes and the once-a-week bridge-and-tunnel leatherettes, the spikes and the usual dregs and walking garbage, Eel was giving them all the hiss.
1994, George Dawes Green, chapter 27, in The Caveman’s Valentine, New York, N.Y.: Warner Books, →ISBN; ebook edition, New York, N.Y.: Warner Books, March 2001, →ISBNShe told the Sun: "I'm talked about as an 'easy girl', the 'blonde slut' who distracted the captain and caused the crash. It's so wrong. I'm not some little tart."
2013 November 13, “Costa Concordia captain's mistress reveals late night sex sessions in cabin before doomed cruise liner sank”, in Daily Mirror
present singular third person tarts · participle present tarting · participle past tarted · past tarted
- To practice prostitution.
- To practice promiscuous sex.
- To dress garishly, ostentatiously, whorishly, or sluttily.
Tart4
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveHigh or too high in acidity.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveharsh
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
tart · adjective
- Proto-Indo-European*der-“to flay, split, cleave”
- Proto-Germanic*teraną“to tear”
- Proto-Germanic*tartaz“rough, sharp, tearing”
- Proto-West Germanic*tart
- Old Englishteart“sharp, rough, severe”
- Middle Englishtart
- Englishtart
From Middle English tart, from Old English teart (“sharp, rough, severe”), from Proto-West Germanic *tart, from Proto-Germanic *tartaz (“rough, sharp, tearing”), from Proto-Germanic *teraną (“to tear”), from Proto-Indo-European *der- (“to flay, split, cleave”). Related to Scots tairt (“tart; tartness”), Dutch tarten (“to defy, challenge, mock”), German trotzen (“to defy, brave, mock”), perhaps Albanian thartë (“sour, acid, sharp”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →tart · noun
- Latinturta
- Old Frenchtarte
- Middle Englishtart
- Englishtart
From Middle English tart, tarte, from Old French tarte, tartre (“flat pastry”) (compare Medieval Latin tarta), of unknown origin. Perhaps an alteration of Old French torte, tourte, from Latin turta, perhaps from tŏrta f (“twisted”), in which case it would be cognate to torta.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →tart · noun, verb
From a rebracketing of sweetheart, or from jam tart (“attractive woman”) by shortening.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian кисел, хаплив
- кисел (kisel)high or too high in acidity (of wine)
- хаплив (hapliv)sharp (figuratively)
- язвителен (jazvitelen)sharp (figuratively)
- тръпчив (trăpčiv)with sharp taste
- плодова пита (plodova pita)open-topped pie or pastry
- пай (paj)open-topped pie or pastry
- проститу́тка (prostitútka)prostitute
- курва (kurva)woman with loose sexual morals
Catalan pastís, puta
- pastísopen-topped pie or pastry
- putaprostitute
- bagassaprostitute
- bandarraprostitute
- marcolfawoman with loose sexual morals
- marfantawoman with loose sexual morals
Chinese Cantonese 撻 /挞
- 撻 /挞 (taat¹)open-topped pie or pastry
Chinese Mandarin 撻 /挞
- 撻 /挞 (tà)open-topped pie or pastry
Czech kyselý, kousavý
- kyselýhigh or too high in acidity (of wine)
- kousavýsharp (figuratively)
- ostrýsharp (figuratively)
- jedovatýsharp (figuratively)
- jízlivýsharp (figuratively)
- trpkýwith sharp taste
- kyselýwith sharp taste
- koláčekopen-topped pie or pastry
- dortíkopen-topped pie or pastry
- prostitutkaprostitute
- courawoman with loose sexual morals
- běhnawoman with loose sexual morals
Danish syrlig
- syrligwith sharp taste
Dutch wrang, zuur
- wrangwith sharp taste
- zuurwith sharp taste
- taartopen-topped pie or pastry
Estonian hapu, äädikane
- hapuhigh or too high in acidity (of wine)
- äädikanehigh or too high in acidity (of wine)
- teravsharp (figuratively)
- kibesharp (figuratively)
- lõikavsharp (figuratively)
- kirbewith sharp taste
- hapukaswith sharp taste
- tortopen-topped pie or pastry
- kookopen-topped pie or pastry
- hoorprostitute
- lõbutütrukprostitute
- pordueitprostitute
- pordikprostitute
- lõbupoissprostitute
- prostprostitute
- prostituutprostitute
- liiderdajaprostitute
- libuwoman with loose sexual morals
- litswoman with loose sexual morals
- lirvawoman with loose sexual morals
- litawoman with loose sexual morals
Finnish hapan, terävä
- hapanhigh or too high in acidity (of wine)
- teräväsharp (figuratively)
- pisteliässharp (figuratively)
- kirpeäsharp (figuratively)
- kirpeäwith sharp taste
- hapanwith sharp taste
- torttuopen-topped pie or pastry
- leivosopen-topped pie or pastry
- piirakkaopen-topped pie or pastry
- ilotyttöprostitute
- huoraprostitute
- lumppuwoman with loose sexual morals
- lunttuwoman with loose sexual morals
- huorawoman with loose sexual morals
French amer, mordant
- amerwith sharp taste
- mordantwith sharp taste
- tarteopen-topped pie or pastry
- tarteletteopen-topped pie or pastry
- putainprostitute
- puteprostitute
- salopewoman with loose sexual morals
German sauer, säuerlich
- sauerhigh or too high in acidity (of wine)
- säuerlichhigh or too high in acidity (of wine)
- scharfsharp (figuratively)
- sauerwith sharp taste
- herbwith sharp taste
- Tarteopen-topped pie or pastry
- Törtchenopen-topped pie or pastry
- Hureprostitute
- Prostituierteprostitute
- Schlampewoman with loose sexual morals
- Flittchenwoman with loose sexual morals
Greek τάρτα, πουτάνα
- τάρτα (tárta)open-topped pie or pastry
- πουτάνα (poutána)prostitute
- τσούλα (tsoúla)woman with loose sexual morals
Hungarian fanyar, prostituált
- fanyarwith sharp taste
- prostituáltprostitute
- ringyówoman with loose sexual morals
- ribancwoman with loose sexual morals
Indonesian tar
- taropen-topped pie or pastry
Italian aspro, tagliente
- asprosharp (figuratively)
- taglientesharp (figuratively)
- acidowith sharp taste
- asprowith sharp taste
- tortaopen-topped pie or pastry
- crostataopen-topped pie or pastry
- puttanaprostitute
- prostitutaprostitute
- donnacciawoman with loose sexual morals
Japanese タルト
- タルト (taruto)open-topped pie or pastry
Korean 타르트
- 타르트 (tareuteu)open-topped pie or pastry
Latin acidus
- aciduswith sharp taste
Malay tat, tart
- tatopen-topped pie or pastry
- tartopen-topped pie or pastry
Māori tāte
- tāteopen-topped pie or pastry
Norwegian prostituert, hore
- prostituertprostitute
- horeprostitute
- horewoman with loose sexual morals
- tøswoman with loose sexual morals
Norwegian Bokmål sur, syrlig
- surhigh or too high in acidity (of wine)
- syrligsharp (figuratively)
- skarpsharp (figuratively)
- syrligwith sharp taste
Persian ترش, زست
- ترش (torš)with sharp taste
- زست (zost)with sharp taste
- تارت (târt)open-topped pie or pastry
Polish cierpki, tarta
- cierpkiwith sharp taste
- tartaopen-topped pie or pastry
Portuguese azedo, torta
- azedowith sharp taste
- tortaopen-topped pie or pastry
- tarteopen-topped pie or pastry
- prostitutaprostitute
- vadiawoman with loose sexual morals
Romanian tartă
- tartăopen-topped pie or pastry
Russian ре́зкий, е́дкий
- ре́зкий (rézkij)sharp (figuratively)
- е́дкий (jédkij)sharp (figuratively)
- те́рпкий (térpkij)with sharp taste
- е́дкий (jédkij)with sharp taste
- ки́слый (kíslyj)with sharp taste
- пиро́г (piróg)open-topped pie or pastry
- тарт (tart)open-topped pie or pastry
- проститу́тка (prostitútka)prostitute
- шлю́ха (šljúxa)woman with loose sexual morals
- блядь (bljadʹ)woman with loose sexual morals
- потаску́ха (potaskúxa)woman with loose sexual morals
- ку́рва (kúrva)woman with loose sexual morals
- шала́ва (šaláva)woman with loose sexual morals
Scottish Gaelic goirt, pithean
- goirtwith sharp taste
- pitheanopen-topped pie or pastry
- siùrsachprostitute
- strìopachprostitute
- sgliùrachwoman with loose sexual morals
- luidwoman with loose sexual morals
Spanish acerbo, tarta
- acerbowith sharp taste
- tartaopen-topped pie or pastry
- tartaletaopen-topped pie or pastry
- putaprostitute
- guarrawoman with loose sexual morals
- pelanduscawoman with loose sexual morals
- zorrawoman with loose sexual morals
Swedish sur, kärv
- surwith sharp taste
- kärvwith sharp taste
- horaprostitute
- slampawoman with loose sexual morals
Thai ทาร์ต
- ทาร์ตopen-topped pie or pastry
Turkish buruk, kekre
- buruksharp (figuratively)
- kekrewith sharp taste
- burukwith sharp taste
- turtaopen-topped pie or pastry
- tartopen-topped pie or pastry
- fahişeprostitute
- sürtükwoman with loose sexual morals
Urdu طوائف
- طوائف (tvāf)prostitute
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with tart
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
tart. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tart
“tart.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tart. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tart,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tart.
Source: tart on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.