Phrase guide

tartaric acid

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind; it is used as the salts cream of tartar and Rochelle salt.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biochemistry, biology, chemistry, microbiology, natural-sciences, organic-chemistry, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

an acid found in many fruits; used in soft drinks and confectionery and baking powder

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hydroxy acid

Narrower terms: racemic acid

History

Etymology

From Medieval Latin tartarum (“tartar”).

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: винена киселина (vinena kiselina) — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Catalan: àcid tartàric — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Chinese Mandarin: 酒石酸 (jiǔshísuān) — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Czech: kyselina vinná — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Dutch: wijnsteenzuur — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Esperanto: tartrata acido — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Finnish: viinihappo — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • French: acide tartrique — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • German: Weinsäure — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Greek: τρυγικό οξύ (trygikó oxý) — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Hungarian: borkősav — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Italian: acido tartarico — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Japanese: 酒石酸 (shusekisan) — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Latvian: vīnskābe — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Macedonian: винска киселина (vinska kiselina) — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Malay: asid tartarik — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Portuguese: ácido tartárico — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Romanian: acid tartric — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Russian: ви́нная кислота́ (vínnaja kislotá) — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Slovak: kyselina vínna — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Spanish: ácido tartárico — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Swedish: vinsyra — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind
  • Turkish: tartarik asit — the aldaric acid, 2,3 dihydroxy-succinic acid, that occurs naturally in many plants, in wine and in tamarind