Forms: 1 teart, 6–7 tarte, 4, 6– tart. [OE. teart; ulterior derivation obscure: by some referred to root of ter-an to TEAR.
The sense-history is also deficient. Teart appears in OE. only in reference to punishment, pain, or suffering, which use of tart, after many centuries, reappears late in 16th c. In the ME. period, the word is known only by a single instance in Chaucer (if this is the adj.), continued after 1500, in sense ‘of a sharp, pungent, or sour taste.’ In 1500 it is also applied to a sharp or pungent weapon; and about 1600 to sharp, bitter, caustic, or stinging words. It is difficult from these data to infer the sense-development; and the order here followed is provisional.]
† 1. Of pain, punishment, suffering, discipline, law: Sharp, severe, painful, grievous. Obs.
In OE.; not known in ME.; in mod.Eng. possibly newly developed from sense 2.
c. 1000. in Napier, O. E. Glosses, 52/1946. Acerrimo, i. asperrimo, on þære teartestan. Ibid., 168/218. Acra, i. tearte.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Hom., II. 344. Ac beo hem ȝesæd, ær he ȝewite, ða teartan witu, þæt his heorte mid ðære biternysse beo ȝehrepod.
1577. Hanmer, Anc. Eccl. Hist., V. xvi. 89. Themison … tasted not of the tarte conyzance of confession, before the tyrant.
1579. Gosson, To Gentlew. Cit. Lond., in Sch. Abuse (Arb.), 61. My Schoole is tarte, but my counsell is plesaunt.
1602. Fulbecke, Pandectes, xi. 81. And Iustinian his Law is tarte: Si quis … auserit, capitali pœna feriatur.
1605. Shaks., Lear, IV. ii. 87. Another way The Newes is not so tart.
2. Sharp to the sense of taste; † biting, pungent (obs.); now esp. sour, acid, or acidulous.
(The sense in the Chaucer quot. is not quite clear.)
c. 1386. Chaucer, Prol., 381. To boille the chiknes with the Marybones And poudre Marchant tart and galyngale.
a. 1529. Skelton, El. Rummyng, 435. Myghty stronge meate For the deuyll to eate: It was tart and punyete.
1601. Holland, Pliny, II. 219. The Patient is to eat tart and sharp meats and poignant sauces [margin As Radish roots and oxymell].
1626. Dean, Spadacrene Angl., Title-p. A Brief Treatise of the Acid Tart Fountain in the Forest of Knaresborough.
1530. Palsgr., 327/1. Tarte, sharpe in taste as vinagre is, aigre, poignant.
1552. Huloet, Tarte, acidus. Ibid., Tarte or somewhat eyger, subacidus.
1652. Culpepper, Eng. Physic. (1809), 356. If you love tart things, add ten drops of oil of vitriol to your pint.
1772–84. Cook, Voy. (1790), I. 139. Cherries … the juice of which was agreeably tart.
1850. Sir T. D. Acland, in Jrnl. Roy. Agric. Soc., 755. There is a great deal of grass land on the borders of the lias hills, which scours cattle. It is said to be ‘teart’; that is tart or sour.
† b. Of the sense of taste: Keen. Obs. rare–1.
1605. B. Jonson, Volpone, II. i. Would you be ever fair and young? Stout of teeth, and strong of tongue? Tart of palat? quick of ear?
† 3. Sharp, keen (as an edge, point, or weapon).
c. 1500. Medwall, Nature (Brandl), 777. I bought thys dagger at the marte, A sharp poynt and a tarte.
1600. Marlowe & Chapman, trans. Hero & Leander, V. K iij b. Thin like an iron wedge, so sharpe and tart, As t’were of purpose made to cleaue Loues heart.
4. fig. Of words, speech, a speaker: Sharp in tone or tendency, biting, cutting, acrimonious, caustic.
1601. Bp. W. Barlow, Serm. Paules Crosse, Pref. 10. Here I renounce all tart and soure speach.
1615. Brathwait, Strappado (1878), 35. Where wilt thou begin With thy tart phrase, to stinge and nettle him?
1669. Gale, Crt. Gentiles, I. III. x. 106. The Cynics … were very tart and satyric in their Declamations against this kind of Oratorie.
1691. Hartcliffe, Virtues, 185. Sometimes a tart Irony goes for Wit.
1710. Addison, Tatler, No. 157, ¶ 6. Entertaining the Company with tart ill-natured Observations.
1822. W. Irving, Braceb. Hall, xxix. Her mind was made up, and she grew tart on the least contradiction.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xxii. IV. 719. Ill humour … might sometimes impel him to give a tart answer.
1902. J. M. Barrie, Little White Bird, ix. I sent her a stiff and tart reply, declining to hold any communication with her.
5. Comb., as tart-tongued.
1602. Fulbecke, 2nd Pt. Parall., 26 b. Being a tart-tounged detractor.
