Tartan

Tartan, name given to certain geometrical patterns woven into cloth, or to the cloth itself, from which are made the garments traditionally worn in the Highlands of Scotland. Stripes of varying widths and colors, crossing at right angles against a solid background, form the distinctive patterns, or setts, associated with the Scottish clans, Highland regiments such as the Black Watch, and certain districts of Scotland. The Canadian province of Nova Scotia also has an official tartan. More than 100 authentic tartans exist today.

A number of tartans exist in different forms for hunting (informal) and for dress wear, and several have an “ancient” form and a modern. Tartans may have developed from Celtic design, gradually becoming a means of identifying members of the same clan. The earliest documented use of tartans for kilts, plaids, and hose is 1660, and military tartans were only adopted in the 18th century. The popularity of tartans dates from the lifting of the ban (in 1782) imposed on their use after the Battle of Culloden.

The word plaid is commonly used as a synonym for tartan and for cloth with a tartan pattern. The precise meaning of plaid is a strip of cloth, woven in a tartan, and worn as a sash or shawl.