Definition of "tartan" in English

noun

1. (uncountable) Woven woollen fabric with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles originally associated with Scottish Highlanders, now with different clans (though this only dates from the late 18th century) and some Scottish families and institutions having their own patterns; (countable) a particular type of such fabric.

2. An individual who wears tartan (etymology 1, sense 1.2); specifically, a Scottish Highlander, or a Scottish person (chiefly a Scotsman) in general.

3. A type of fly used in fly fishing, often to catch salmon.

4. A young person who is a member of a Protestant gang in Northern Ireland.

5. Preceded by the: a group of people customarily wearing tartan; Scottish Highlanders or Scottish people collectively; also, the soldiers of a Scottish Highland regiment collectively.

6. (uncountable, chiefly attributive) Originally a trade name in the form Tartan: a synthetic resin used for surfacing ramps, running tracks, etc.

7. (uncountable, Scotland) Ellipsis of tartan-purry (“a porridge made from cabbage mixed with oatmeal”).

adjective

1. Made of tartan (noun etymology 1, sense 1), or having a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles like a that of a tartan.

2. (figurative, sometimes humorous) Of or relating to Scotland, its culture, or people; Scottish.

verb

1. To clothe (someone) in tartan (noun etymology 1, sense 1.2).

2. To apply a tartan pattern to (something).

3. (figurative) To make (something) Scottish, or more Scottish; to tartanize.

noun

1. (nautical) A type of one-masted vessel with a lateen sail and a foresail, used in the Mediterranean.