tartan

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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtɑːt(ə)n/
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• Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• General-American: /ˈtɑɹtn̩/
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• General-American: [-ɾn̩]
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• Scotland: /ˈtɑɹt(ə)n/
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• Scotland: /ˈtæɹ-/
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• homophone: Tartan
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• rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)tən
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• homophone: tartan
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• CMU ARPABET: T AA1 R T AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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The 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). Another suggestion is that the Scots noun is from Middle English tartaryn (“rich cloth (probably silk) imported from the East, probably from China through Tartary”), from Old French (drap) tartarin (literally “cloth of Tartary”), from Medieval Latin Tartarīnus (“of Tartary or the Tatars”), from Latin Tartarus, Tatarus (“Tatar person”) + -īnus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). However, the Oxford English Dictionary notes that tartarin referred to a more expensive fabric. Noun etymology 1, noun sense 2.2 (“type of fly used in fly fishing”) may refer to its use in Scotland: see the 1837 quotation. Etymology 1, noun sense 2.3 (“young person who is a member of a Protestant gang in Northern Ireland”) is from the fact that they were traditionally supporters of Rangers Football Club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The adjective is from an attributive use of the noun, while the verb is also derived from the noun.

Borrowed from Hebrew תַּרְתָּן (tartān) (translated into English in versions of the Old Testament of the Bible: see the quotations), from the Assyrian dialect of Akkadian 𒌉𒋫𒉡 (tur-ta-nu).

Borrowed from French tartane, from Italian tartana; further origin uncertain, said to be from Arabic طَرِيدَة (ṭarīda, “type of fast ship”) but according to the Oxford English Dictionary there is insufficient evidence for this.

100 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Bulgarian: тарта́нов (tartánov) — made of tartan
• Finnish: tartaaninen — made of tartan
• Bulgarian: тарта́нов (tartánov) — having a distinctive pattern like that of a tartan
• Danish: skotskternet — having a distinctive pattern like that of a tartan
• Finnish: skottiruutuinen — having a distinctive pattern like that of a tartan
• Manx: breck — having a distinctive pattern like that of a tartan
• Manx: breckanagh — having a distinctive pattern like that of a tartan
• Polish: tartanowy — having a distinctive pattern like that of a tartan
• Akkadian: 𒌉𒋫𒉡 (tur-ta-nu) — commander-in-chief of ancient Assyria
• Aramaic: ܬܵܪܬܵܢ — commander-in-chief of ancient Assyria
• Azerbaijani: Tartan — commander-in-chief of ancient Assyria
• Catalan: Tartan — commander-in-chief of ancient Assyria
• Finnish: Tartan — commander-in-chief of ancient Assyria
• German: Turtanu — commander-in-chief of ancient Assyria
• Ancient Greek: Θαρθαν (Tharthan) — commander-in-chief of ancient Assyria
• Hebrew: תַּרְתָּן (tartān) — commander-in-chief of ancient Assyria
• Italian: Turtanu — commander-in-chief of ancient Assyria
• Japanese: タルタン (Tarutan) — commander-in-chief of ancient Assyria
• Latin: Tharthan — commander-in-chief of ancient Assyria
• Polish: tartan — commander-in-chief of ancient Assyria
• Portuguese: Tartã — commander-in-chief of ancient Assyria
• Russian: Тартан (Tartan) — commander-in-chief of ancient Assyria
• Spanish: Turtanu — commander-in-chief of ancient Assyria
• Arabic: طرطان — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Armenian: թարթան (tʻartʻan) — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Azerbaijani: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Basque: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Bulgarian: тарта́н (tartán) — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Catalan: tartà — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Cornish: brith — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Czech: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Danish: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Dutch: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Esperanto: tartano — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Estonian: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Finnish: tartaani — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• French: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• German: Tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Bavarian German: Tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Hebrew: טארטן — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Icelandic: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Irish: breacán — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Italian: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Japanese: タータン (tātan) — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Kannada: ಟಾರ್ಟನ್ (ṭārṭan) — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Korean: 타르탄 (tareutan) — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Lithuanian: tartanas — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Malay: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Manx: breckan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Norwegian Bokmål: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Norwegian Nynorsk: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Persian: تارتان — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Polish: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Portuguese: tartã — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Romanian: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Russian: тарта́н (tartán) — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Russian: шотла́ндский плед (šotlándskij pled) — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Scots: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Scottish Gaelic: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Scottish Gaelic: breacan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Serbo-Croatian: та̀рта̄н — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Serbo-Croatian: tàrtān — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Slovak: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Slovene: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Slovene: škotski karo — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Spanish: tartán — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Swedish: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Tagalog: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Thai: ทาร์ทัน — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Turkish: tartan — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Ukrainian: тартан (tartan) — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Welsh: plod — woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders
• Bulgarian: тарта́н (tartán) — pattern used on such fabric
• Chinese Mandarin: 花呢格紋 /花呢格纹 (huānígéwén) — pattern used on such fabric
• Finnish: skottiruutu — pattern used on such fabric
• German: Schottenkaro — pattern used on such fabric
• Polish: tartan — pattern used on such fabric
• Bulgarian: тарта́н (tartán) — clothing made from this fabric
• Finnish: tartaanivaatteet — clothing made from this fabric
• Polish: tartan — clothing made from this fabric
• Finnish: tartaanipukuinen henkilö — individual who wears tartan
• Finnish: tartan-viehe — type of fly used in fly fishing, often to catch salmon
• Finnish: protestanttijengiläinen — young person who is a member of a Protestant gang in Northern Ireland
• Finnish: ylämaalaisrykmentin sotilaat — soldiers of a Scottish Highland regiment collectively
• Czech: tartan — synthetic resin used for surfacing ramps, running tracks, etc.
• Danish: tartan — synthetic resin used for surfacing ramps, running tracks, etc.
• Finnish: tartan — synthetic resin used for surfacing ramps, running tracks, etc.
• Catalan: tartana — type of one-masted vessel with a lateen sail and a foresail, used in the Mediterranean
• Finnish: tartaani — type of one-masted vessel with a lateen sail and a foresail, used in the Mediterranean
• French: tartane — type of one-masted vessel with a lateen sail and a foresail, used in the Mediterranean
• Ido: tartan-navo — type of one-masted vessel with a lateen sail and a foresail, used in the Mediterranean
• Italian: tartana — type of one-masted vessel with a lateen sail and a foresail, used in the Mediterranean
• Polish: tartana — type of one-masted vessel with a lateen sail and a foresail, used in the Mediterranean
• Portuguese: tartana — type of one-masted vessel with a lateen sail and a foresail, used in the Mediterranean
• Spanish: tartana — type of one-masted vessel with a lateen sail and a foresail, used in the Mediterranean
• Turkish: tirhandil — type of one-masted vessel with a lateen sail and a foresail, used in the Mediterranean
• Ottoman Turkish: طرخاندیل (tirhandil) — type of one-masted vessel with a lateen sail and a foresail, used in the Mediterranean
• Finnish: pukea tartaaniin — to clothe (someone) in tartan
• Finnish: koristaa skottiruuduin — to apply a tartan pattern to (something)
• Finnish: skotlantilaistaa — to make (something) Scottish, or more Scottish