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tartan1

Pronunciation: /ˈtɑːt(ə)n/

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Definition of tartan

noun

a woollen cloth woven in one of several patterns of coloured checks and intersecting lines, especially of a design associated with a particular Scottish clan: stripes and tartans have replaced floral chintzes [as modifier]:a tartan shortbread tin

adjective

used allusively in reference to Scotland or the Scots:the financing proposals for the Scottish parliament amounted to a tartan tax

Origin:

late 15th century (originally Scots): perhaps from Old French tertaine, denoting a kind of cloth; compare with tartarin, a rich fabric formerly imported from the east through Tartary