tart

Etymology 1

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”).

adj

1. Sharp to the taste; acid; sour.
   I ate a very tart apple.
2. (of wine) high or too high in acidity.
3. (figurative) Sharp; keen; severe.
   He gave me a very tart reply.

Etymology 2

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.

noun

1. A type of small open pie, or piece of pastry, now typically containing jelly (US) / jam (UK) or conserve, or sometimes other fillings (chocolate, custard, egg, butter, historically even meat or other savory fillings).
2. A melt (block of wax for use in a tart burner).

Etymology 3

From sweetheart or jam tart (“attractive woman”) by shortening.

noun

1. (Britain, slang) A prostitute.
2. (Britain, slang, derogatory, by extension) Any 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 Congress

verb

1. To practice prostitution.
2. To practice promiscuous sex.
3. To dress garishly, ostentatiously, whorishly, or sluttily.