† tars, tarse Obs.
Also 5 tarsse.
[a. OF. tarse (1345 in Godef.); in med.L. pannus Tarsicus; formerly held to be the same word as Tarse, Tarsus in Cilicia (either because fabricated at or imported by way of Tarsus); but probably referring to Tarsia or Tharsia, described in Maundeville (xxiv, Roxb. xxvii) as ‘the kingdom of Tarse’, upon which the land of Cathay ‘marcheth toward the west’, app. Turkestan; hence prob. the same as tartar n.3, and tartarin1 2, q.v.]
A rich and costly stuff of Oriental origin, used in the West in the 14th and 15th c. Also cloth of tars.
| [1295 Visitatio Thesaur. S. Pauli Londin. (Du Cange), Casula de panno Tarsico, Indici coloris.] 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 571 Dubbed in a dublet of a dere tars. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xv. 163 As gladde of a goune of a graye russet As of a tunicle of tarse or of trye scarlet. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 3190 In toges of tarsse fulle richelye attyrde. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) vi. 20 Cledd in clathe of gold or tars, or in chamelet. a 1400–50 Alexander 1515 [He] arais all þe cite, Braidis ouire with bawdkyns all þe brade stretis, With tars & with tafeta þar he trede sulde. Ibid. 4673 Doubeletis of damaske & sum of dere tars. [1834 J. R. Planché Brit. Costume 105 The rich stuff called ‘cloth of tars’ is mentioned in this reign [Edw. I]. It was latinized tarsicus and tartarinus. 1880 G. C. M. Birdwood Indian Arts II. 74 Cloth of Tars is from Tarsus, or perhaps from Tabriz.] |