Tartar Tar"tar noun 1. [ Persian Tātār , of Tartar origin.] A native or inhabitant of Tartary in Asia; a member of any one of numerous tribes, chiefly Moslem, of Turkish origin, inhabiting the Russian Europe; -- written also, more correctly but less usually, Tatar . 2. A person of a keen, irritable temper. To catch a tartar , to lay hold of, or encounter, a person who proves too strong for the assailant. [ Colloq.]

Tartar Tar"tar adjective Of or pertaining to Tartary in Asia, or the Tartars.

Tartar Tar"tar noun [ Confer French tartare .] See Tartarus . Shak.

Tartarated Tar"tar·a`ted adjective (Chemistry) Tartrated.

Tartarean, Tartareous Tar·ta"re·an, Tar·ta"re·ous adjective [ Latin tartareus : confer French tartaréen .] Of or pertaining to Tartarus; hellish.

Tartareous Tar·ta"re·ous adjective [ Confer 1st Tartarous .] 1. Consisting of tartar; of the nature of tartar. 2. (Botany) Having the surface rough and crumbling; as, many lichens are tartareous .

Tartarian Tar·ta"ri·an noun (Botany) The name of some kinds of cherries, as the Black Tartarian , or the White Tartarian .

Tartarian, Tartaric Tar·ta"ri·an, Tar·tar"ic adjective Of or pertaining to Tartary in Asia, or the Tartars. Tartarian lamb (Botany) , Scythian lamb. See Barometz .

Tartaric Tar·tar"ic adjective (Chemistry) Of or pertaining to tartar; derived from, or resembling, tartar. Tartaric acid . (a) An acid widely diffused throughout the vegetable kingdom, as in grapes, mountain-ash berries, etc., and obtained from tartar as a white crystalline substance, C ₂ H ₂ (OH) ₂ .(CO ₂ H) ₂ , having a strong pure acid taste. It is used in medicine, in dyeing, calico printing, photography, etc., and also as a substitute for lemon juice. Called also dextro-tartaric acid . (b) By extension, any one of the series of isomeric acids (racemic acid, levotartaric acid, inactive tartaric acid) of which tartaric acid proper is the type.

Tartarine Tar"tar·ine noun (Old Chem.) Potassium carbonate, obtained by the incineration of tartar. [ Obsolete]

Tartarize Tar"tar·ize transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Tartarized ; present participle & verbal noun Tartarizing .] [ Confer French tartariser .] (Chemistry) To impregnate with, or subject to the action of, tartar. [ R.] Tartarized antimony (Med. Chem.) , tartar emetic.

Tartarize Tar"tar·ize transitive verb To cause to resemble the Tartars and their civilization, as by conquest.

Tartarous Tar"tar·ous adjective [ Confer French tartareux .] Containing tartar; consisting of tartar, or partaking of its qualities; tartareous.

Tartarous Tar"tar·ous adjective Resembling, or characteristic of, a Tartar; ill-natured; irritable.

The Tartarous moods of common men.

B. Jonson.

Tartarum Tar"ta·rum noun (Chemistry) See 1st Tartar .

Tartarus Tar"ta·rus (tär"tȧ*rŭs) noun [ Latin , from Greek Ta`rtaros .] (Class. Myth.) The infernal regions, described in the Iliad as situated as far below Hades as heaven is above the earth, and by later writers as the place of punishment for the spirits of the wicked. By the later poets, also, the name is often used synonymously with Hades , or the Lower World in general.

Tartary Tar"ta·ry noun Tartarus. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Tartini's tones Tar·ti"ni's tones` [ From Tartini , an Italian violinist, who discovered them in 1754.] See the Note under Tone .

Tartish Tart"ish adjective Somewhat tart.

Tartlet Tart"let noun A small tart. V. Knox.

Tartly Tart"ly adverb In a tart manner; with acidity.

Tartness Tart"ness noun The quality or state of being tart. Syn. -- Acrimony; sourness; keenness; poignancy; severity; asperity; acerbity; harshness. See Acrimony .

Tartralic Tar·tral"ic adjective [ From Tartar the chemical compound.] (Chemistry) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained as a white amorphous deliquescent substance, C ₈ H ₁₀ O ₁₁ ; -- called also ditartaric , tartrilic , or tartrylic acid .

Tartramate Tar·tram"ate noun (Chemistry) A salt of tartramic acid.

Tartramic Tar·tram"ic adjective [ Tarto- + amic .] (Chemistry) Of, pertaining to, or designating, an acid which is the primary acid amide derivative of tartaric acid.

Tartramide Tar·tram"ide noun [ Tarto- + amide .] (Chemistry) An acid amide derivative of tartaric acid, obtained as a white crystalline substance.

Tartrate Tar"trate noun [ Confer French tartrate .] (Chemistry) A salt of tartaric acid.

Tartrated Tar"tra`ted adjective (Med. Chem.) Containing, or derived from, tartar; combined with tartaric acid.

Tartrazine Tar"tra·zine noun [ Tart aric + hyd razine .] (Chemistry) An artificial dyestuff obtained as an orange-yellow powder, and regarded as a phenyl hydrazine derivative of tartaric and sulphonic acids.

Tartrelic Tar·trel"ic adjective [ From Tartar the chemical compound.] (Chemistry) Of, pertaining to, or designating, an anhydride, C ₄ H ₄ O ₅ , of tartaric acid, obtained as a white crystalline deliquescent substance.

Tartro- Tar"tro- A combining form (also used adjectively) used in chemistry to denote the presence of tartar or of some of its compounds or derivatives .

Tartronate Tar"tro·nate noun (Chemistry) A salt of tartronic acid.

Tartronic Tar·tron"ic adjective [ Tartro- + mal onic .] (Chemistry) Of, pertaining to, or designating, an organic acid (called also hydroxy malonic acid ) obtained, by reducing mesoxalic acid, as a white crystalline substance.

Tartronyl Tar"tro·nyl noun [ Tartron ic + - yl .] (Chemistry) A hypothetical radical constituting the characteristic residue of tartronic acid and certain of its derivatives.

Tartrovinic Tar`tro·vin"ic adjective [ Tartro- + vinic .] (Chemistry) Of, pertaining to, or designating, a certain acid composed of tartaric acid in combination with ethyl, and now called ethyltartaric acid .

Tartuffe, Tartufe Tar·tuffe", Tar·tufe" noun [ French tartufe .] A hypocritical devotee. See the Dictionary of Noted Names in Fiction.

Tartuffish, Tartufish Tar·tuff"ish, Tar·tuf"ish adjective Like a tartuffe; precise; hypocritical. Sterne.

Tarweed Tar"weed` noun (Botany) A name given to several resinous-glandular composite plants of California, esp. to the species of Grindelia , Hemizonia , and Madia .

Tas Tas noun [ French] A heap. [ Obsolete] "The tas of bodies slain." Chaucer.

Tas Tas transitive verb To tassel. [ Obsolete] "A purse of leather tassed with silk." Chaucer.

Tasco Tas"co noun [ Confer Spanish tasconio .] A kind of clay for making melting pots. Percy Smith.

Tasimer Ta·sim"er (tȧ*sĭm"e*tẽr) noun [ Greek ta`sis stretching, extension (from tei`nein to stretch) + -meter .] (Physics) An instrument for detecting or measuring minute extensions or movements of solid bodies. It consists essentially of a small rod, disk, or button of carbon, forming part of an electrical circuit, the resistance of which, being varied by the changes of pressure produced by the movements of the object to be measured, causes variations in the strength of the current, which variations are indicated by a sensitive galvanometer. It is also used for measuring minute changes of temperature. T. A. Edison.

Task Task (tȧsk) noun [ Middle English taske , Old French tasque , French tâche , for tasche , Late Latin tasca , taxa , from Latin taxare to rate, appraise, estimate. See Tax , noun & v. ] 1. Labor or study imposed by another, often in a definite quantity or amount.

Ma task of servile toil.

Milton.

Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close.

Longfellow. 2. Business; employment; undertaking; labor.

His mental powers were equal to greater tasks .

Atterbury. To take to task . See under Take . Syn. -- Work; labor; employment; business; toil; drudgery; study; lesson; stint.

Task Task transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Tasked ; present participle & verbal noun Tasking .] 1. To impose a task upon; to assign a definite amount of business, labor, or duty to.

There task thy maids, and exercise the loom.

Dryden. 2. To oppress with severe or excessive burdens; to tax. 3. To charge; to tax, as with a fault.

Too impudent to task me with those errors.

Beau. & Fl.

Task wage Task wage (Polit. Econ.) A wage paid by the day, or some fixed period, on condition that a minimum task be performed. When the workman is paid in proportion for excess over the minimum, the wage is one for piece-work.

Tasker Task"er noun 1. One who imposes a task. 2. One who performs a task, as a day-laborer. [ R.] 3. A laborer who receives his wages in kind. [ Scot.]

Taskmaster Task"mas`ter noun One who imposes a task, or burdens another with labor; one whose duty is to assign tasks; an overseer. Ex. i. 11.

All is, if I have grace to use it so,
As ever in my great Taskmaster's eye.

Milton.

Taskwork Task"work` noun Work done as a task; also, work done by the job; piecework.

Taslet Tas"let noun [ See Tasse a piece of armor.] A piece of armor formerly worn to guard the thighs; a tasse.

Tasmanian Tas·ma"ni·an (tăz*mā"nĭ* a n) adjective Of or pertaining to Tasmania, or Van Diemen's Land. -- noun A native or inhabitant of Tasmania; specifically (Ethnol.) , in the plural, the race of men that formerly inhabited Tasmania, but is now extinct. Tasmanian cider tree . (Botany) See the Note under Eucalyptus . -- Tasmanian devil . (Zoology) See under Devil . -- Tasmanian wolf (Zoology) , a savage carnivorous marsupial; -- called also zebra wolf . See Zebra wolf , under Wolf .