tartan

/ˈtɑrtn/

/ˈtɑtɪn/

Other forms: tartans

Tartan is a plaid pattern that's often woven from wool into cloth. Scottish bagpipers often wear knee socks and tartan kilts.

A true tartan is a specific pattern that represents a certain Scottish clan or family. In 1746, the Scottish government tried to keep the clans peaceful and under control by banning tartan. While the words tartan and plaid are basically interchangeable in the U.S., in Scotland a plaid is a large tartan cloth or blanket. Experts believe that the word tartan is rooted in the Medieval Latin tyrius, "cloth from Tyre."

Definitions of tartan

1. noun

   a cloth having a crisscross design
   synonyms: plaid

   type of:

   cloth, fabric, material, textile

   artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers