- [uncountable, countable]
a pattern of squares and lines of different colours and widths that cross each other at an angle of 90°, used especially on cloth, and originally from Scotland （尤指源自苏格兰织物的）花格图案，方格花纹 
a tartan rug 花格小地毯
- [countable]
a tartan pattern connected with a particular group of families (= a clan) in Scotland （与苏格兰某家族有关的）花格图案，方格花纹 the MacLeod tartan 麦克劳德花格图案
- [uncountable]
cloth, especially made of wool, that has a tartan pattern 花格布料；（尤指）苏格兰格呢
Word Originlate 15th cent. (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, a historical region of Asia and eastern Europe.
Culture tartantartanTartan is a traditional cloth from Scotland, made of wool, with patterns of squares and lines woven in various colours. Patterns depended originally on dyes (= colours) available from local plants, so each area developed its own tartan. Tartans were not at first associated with a particular clan (= social group). From the late 18th century, Scottish regiments wore different tartans as an identifying feature, and the design of an individual tartan for each clan followed soon afterwards. The most famous tartans include ‘Black Watch’, the tartan of the Royal Highland Regiment, which is black and dark green, and ‘Royal Stuart’, the mainly red tartan of the royal family.Scotsmen may wear a kilt (= a man's skirt with pleats that reaches to the knees) and sometimes a plaid (= a piece of tartan cloth worn over one shoulder and across the chest), or simply a tie, in their clan's tartan. Men wear kilts when taking part in Scottish dancing displays or for formal occasions such as weddings.Many Scots consider it wrong to wear the tartan of a clan to which they do not belong, but this has not prevented tartan, or tartan-like patterns, becoming fashionable in Britain and abroad. For some people tartan has romantic associations with Scotland's history and its wild and beautiful countryside. Women's kilts, skirts and dresses, as well as scarves, bags, travelling rugs, and many other articles, are made in tartan patterns. Goods sold to tourists, such as tins of shortbread biscuits, are decorated with tartan patterns to indicate their origin.