tartan
Made of tartan, or having a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at…Made of tartan (noun etymology 1, noun sense 1), or having a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles like a that of a tartan.
» The skirt has a tartan pattern.
Meaning
2 sensesMade of tartan (noun etymology 1, noun sense 1), or having a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles like a that of a tartan.
(figuratively, humorous, sometimes)Of or relating to Scotland, its culture, or people; Scottish.
Examples
3 sentencesThe skirt has a tartan pattern.
We'd suggest a chic upholstered bed with a little tartan fabric.
She inherited a beautiful wool blanket woven in the traditional Black Watch tartan.
Translations
1 languagesOrigin
The noun is an unadapted borrowing from Scots tartan, from Old Scots tartane, tertane, proThe noun is an unadapted borrowing from Scots tartan, from Old Scots tartane, tertane, probably from Old French tertaine, tiretaine (“cloth of wool mixed with cotton or linen”), probably from tiret (“kind of precious cloth”) + -aine modelled after futaine (“woven cloth made from cotton mixed with linen or silk”). Tiret is derived from tire (“kind of silk cloth”), from Medieval Latin tyrium (“cloth dyed with Tyrian purple”), a noun use of Latin tyrium, an inflection of tyrius (“of Tyre, Tyrian”), from Latin Tyrus (“Phoenician city of Tyre (in modern Lebanon)”) (from Ancient Greek Τῠ́ρος (Tŭ́ros), from Phoenician 𐤑𐤓 (ṣr)) + -ius (suffix forming adjectives).
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Forms
more tartan, most tartan| Comparative | more tartan Lesson |
|---|---|
| Superlative | most tartan Lesson |
regular
Word family
2 related wordsLessons for this word
2 lessons- A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
- A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form