Tart
late Middle English (denoting a savoury pie): from Old French tarte or medieval Latin tarta, of unknown origin.
wiktionary
From Middle English tart, from Old English teart(“sharp, rough, severe”), from Proto-Germanic *tartaz(“rough, sharp, tearing”), from Proto-Germanic *teraną(“to tear”), from Proto-Indo-European *der-(“to flay, split, cleave”). Related to Dutch tarten(“to defy, challenge, mock”), German trotzen(“to defy, brave, mock”), German zart(“delicate, tender”), perhaps Albanian thartë(“sour, acid, sharp”).
From Middle English tart, tarte, from Old French tarte, tartre(“flat pastry”) (compare Medieval Latin tarta), of unknown origin. Perhaps an alteration of Old French torte, tourte, from Vulgar Latin *torta, from torta(“twisted”) panis(“bread”), from feminine of Latin tortus(“twisted, folded over”). Cognate to torta.
From sweetheart or jam tart(“attractive woman”) by shortening
etymonline
tart (adj.)
"having a sharp taste," 1520s, also attested once, obscurely, from late 14c., perhaps from Old English teart "painful, sharp, severe, rough" (in reference to punishment, pain, suffering), from Germanic *ter-t-, from PIE root *der- "to split, flay, peel." But the gap in the record is unexplained. Figurative use, with reference to words, speech, etc., is attested from c. 1600. Related: Tartly; tartness, both also absent in Middle English.
tart (n.1)
"small pie," late 14c., from Old French tarte "flat, open-topped pastry" (13c.), possibly an alteration of torte, from Late Latin torta "round loaf of bread" (in Medieval Latin "a cake, tart"), perhaps from past participle of torquere "to twist" (from PIE root *terkw- "to twist").
tart (n.2)
1887, "prostitute, immoral woman," from earlier use as a term of endearment to a girl or woman (1864), sometimes said to be a shortening of sweetheart. But another theory traces it to jam-tart (see tart (n.1)), which was British slang early 19c. for "attractive woman." Diminutive tartlet attested from 1890. To tart (something) up is from 1938. Related: Tarted.
