tartan

tartan — noun

1. a design of colourful straight lines that cross one another at right angles to f

1.nounB1
Definition

a design of colourful straight lines that cross one another at right angles to form a set of squares, traditionally woven into woollen cloth in Scotland and used as a symbol of a particular family or region

Example

Trang wore a green-and-red tartan scarf to the winter festival.

collocation: tartan + garment (scarf, skirt, tie)

Each Scottish clan has its own unique tartan pattern with specific colours.

Common collocations
  • tartan scarf
  • tartan skirt
  • tartan fabric
  • tartan pattern
  • tartan blanket
  • clan tartan
  • family tartan
  • wear tartan
  • woven in tartan
Synonyms
  • plaid

    often used interchangeably, though 'plaid' in American English can refer to any checked pattern, while 'tartan' retains the Scottish origin and clan association

  • check

    a simpler grid pattern without the specific Scottish cultural or clan meaning

  • tweed

    a rough woollen fabric from Scotland, but with a plain or herringbone weave rather than a crossed-colour pattern

Usage Note

'tartan' is countable when referring to a specific pattern (e.g. 'the MacGregor tartan'), and uncountable when referring to the fabric or material in general (e.g. 'made of tartan'). The plural 'tartans' means different patterns belonging to various clans.

Common Mistakes

She bought a tartan checkered fabric.
She bought a tartan fabric.
'tartan' already describes the crisscross pattern; adding 'checkered' is redundant.
I wear a tartan every Saint Andrew's Day.' (meaning a garment)
I wear a tartan scarf every Saint Andrew's Day.
'tartan' alone as a noun refers to the fabric or pattern, not a garment made from it.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Tartan, plaid, and check are all patterns of crossed lines, but they differ in cultural weight and precision. 'Tartan' refers specifically to a woven design of coloured stripes crossing at right angles, traditionally linked to Scottish clans — each clan having its own registered pattern. 'Plaid' is the broader, more casual term; in British English it often means the same as tartan, while in American English it can describe any crisscross pattern, even on non-woollen fabric (e.g. 'a plaid shirt'). 'Check' (or 'checkered') is the most general term, covering any grid of squares, from a chessboard to a gingham picnic cloth — it carries no Scottish or clan meaning at all. If you want to emphasise heritage and formality, use 'tartan'; for a casual description of crossed lines in everyday clothing, 'plaid' or 'check' works better. A Scot would never call their clan's registered pattern a 'check'.

plaid ↗check ↗tartan ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • tartan pattern
  • tartan fabric
  • tartan scarf
  • tartan skirt
  • tartan rug
  • tartan design
  • tartan wool

Adverbs

  • traditionally tartan
  • typically tartan

Phrases

  • dress in tartan
  • wear tartan
  • woven in tartan

Prepositions

  • in tartan
  • made of tartan

Etymology

FrenchScotsScottish EnglishEnglish

The word 'tartan' entered English from French 'tiretaine', a type of woollen cloth. It was adopted into Scots and Scottish English, where its meaning gradually narrowed from 'a kind of fabric' to 'a patterned woollen cloth' and finally to the specific crisscross coloured patterns that became markers of clan identity in the Scottish Highlands during the 18th and 19th centuries.