tatar
tatar Lexical Profile
tatar Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A member of any of several Turkic-speaking peoples native to Eastern Europe and Northern and Central Asia, living especially in Tatarstan, Crimea, and western Siberia.
"The Volga Tatars have a rich literary and musical heritage that dates back centuries."
The Kipchak Turkic language spoken by the Tatars, primarily in the Republic of Tatarstan and surrounding regions of Russia.
"She grew up speaking both Tatar and Russian at home in Kazan."
• adjective
Relating to the Tatars, their culture, or their Turkic language.
"The museum features an extensive collection of traditional Tatar embroidery and silver jewelry."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'Tatar' (the modern standard ethnonym and language name) with 'tartar' (dental plaque, a chemical compound in wine, or the sauce 'tartar sauce'), although 'Tartar' was historically used as a variant spelling for the ethnic group due to medieval folk etymology associating them with Tartarus.
• Rhymes for tatar
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed via Persian and Medieval Latin from Old Turkic 'Tatar', originally the name of a tribal confederation on the northeastern Mongolian steppe. In medieval Europe, the spelling was often altered to 'Tartar' by association with Latin 'Tartarus' (hell).