What is "tartan"

Tartan \Tar"tan\, n. [F. tartane, or Sp., Pg., or It. tartana; all perhaps of Arabic origin.] (Naut.) A small coasting vessel, used in the Mediterranean, having one mast carrying large leteen sail, and a bowsprit with staysail or jib.

Tartan \Tar"tan\, n. [F. tiretane linsey-woolsey, akin to Sp. tirita[~n]a a sort of thin silk; cf. Sp. tiritar to shiver or shake with cold.] Woolen cloth, checkered or crossbarred with narrow bands of various colors, much worn in the Highlands of Scotland; hence, any pattern of tartan; also, other material of a similar pattern.

MacCullummore's heart will be as cold as death can make it, when it does not warm to the tartan.
--Sir W. Scott.

The sight of the tartan inflamed the populace of London with hatred.
--Macaulay.

"kind of woolen fabric," mid-15c., perhaps from Middle French tiretaine "strong, coarse fabric" (mid-13c.), from Old French tiret "kind of cloth," from tire "silk cloth," from Medieval Latin tyrius "cloth from Tyre" (see Tyrian).\n

\nIf this is the source, spelling likely influenced in Middle English by tartaryn "rich silk cloth" (mid-14c.), from Old French tartarin "Tartar cloth," from Tartare "Tartar," the Central Asian people (see Tartar). Specific meaning "woolen or worsted cloth woven with crossing stripes of colors" is from c.1500, formerly a part of the distinctive dress of Scottish Highlanders, each clan having its particular pattern.

Etymology 1

1. 1 Having a pattern like a tartan. 2 (context humorous English) Scottish. n. 1 A kind of woven woollen cloth with a distinctive pattern of coloured stripes intersecting at right angles, associated with Scottish Highlanders, different clans having their own distinctive patterns. 2 The pattern associated with such material. 3 An individual or a group wearing tartan; a Highlander or Scotsman in general. 4 Trade name of a synthetic resin, used for surfacing tracks etc. v

2. (context transitive English) To clothe in tartan. Etymology 2

   alt. A type of one-masted vessel used in the Mediterranean. n. A type of one-masted vessel used in the Mediterranean.

n. a cloth having a crisscross design [syn: plaid]

Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns. Tartan is often called plaid in North America, but in Scotland, a plaid is a tartan cloth slung over the shoulder as a kilt accessory, or a plain ordinary blanket such as one would have on a bed.

Tartan is made with alternating bands of coloured (pre-dyed) threads woven as both warp and weft at right angles to each other. The weft is woven in a simple twill, two over—two under the warp, advancing one thread at each pass. This forms visible diagonal lines where different colours cross, which give the appearance of new colours blended from the original ones. The resulting blocks of colour repeat vertically and horizontally in a distinctive pattern of squares and lines known as a sett.

The Dress Act of 1746 attempted to bring the warrior clans under government control by banning the tartan and other aspects of Gaelic culture. When the law was repealed in 1782, it was no longer ordinary Highland dress, but was adopted instead as the symbolic national dress of Scotland.

Until the middle of the nineteenth century, the highland tartans were only associated with either regions or districts, rather than any specific Scottish clan. This was because like other materials, tartan designs were produced by local weavers for local tastes and would usually only use the natural dyes available in that area, as chemical dye production was non-existent and transportation of other dye materials across long distances was prohibitively expensive.

The patterns were simply different regional checked-cloth patterns, chosen by the wearer's preference—in the same way as people nowadays choose what colours and patterns they like in their clothing, without particular reference to propriety. It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that many patterns were created and artificially associated with Scottish clans, families, or institutions who were (or wished to be seen as) associated in some way with a Scottish heritage. The Victorians' penchant for ordered taxonomy and the new chemical dyes then available meant that the idea of specific patterns of bright colours, or "dress" tartans, could be created and applied to a faux-nostalgic view of Scottish history.

Today tartan is no longer limited to textiles, but is used on non-woven mediums, such as paper, plastics, packaging, and wall coverings.

Tartan may refer to the following:

• Tartan, a pattern on clothing, usually associated with Scotland
• Tartan (bridge convention), a bidding device in contract bridge
• Tartan (Assyrian), the Assyrian term for a military commander-in-chief
• Tartan Army, fans of Scotland's national football team
• Tartan track, a synthetic track surface for athletics
• Tartan Films, a US and UK film distribution company
• The Tartans, a Jamaican reggae band
• Tartan or tartane, a type of ship
• Tartans, students and sports teams of Carnegie Mellon University
  • The Tartan, Carnegie Mellon University's student newspaper
• Tartan Laboratories, an American software company later known as Tartan, Inc.
• Donald Caskie, sometimes referred to as the "Tartan Pimpernel"
• Tartan ribbon, the first color photograph
• Sillitoe Tartan, the chequered pattern seen on many police vehicles
• Tartan Senior High School, a high school in Oakdale, Minnesota

A Tartan , Aramaic: ܬܵܪܬܵܢ Tartan; was the commander-in-chief of the Assyrian army. In the Bible, the Assyrian king sends a Tartan with two other officials to deliver a threatening message to Jerusalem, and Sargon II, the king of Assyria, sends a Tartan who takes Ashdod.

In Assyria, the Tartan ranked next to the king. The office seems to have been duplicated, and there was a tartanu imni or 'tartan of the right', as well as a tartanu shumeli or 'tartan of the left'. In later times the title became territorial; we read of a tartan of 'Kummuh' ( Commagene). The title is also applied to the commanders of foreign armies ; thus Sargon speaks of the Tartan Musurai, or 'Egyptian Tartan'. The Tartan of 720 BC was probably called Ashur-iska-danin; in 694 BC, Abdai, and in 686 BC Bel-emurani, held the title. It does not seem to have been in use among the closely related Babylonians.