English
card
Card comes from Middle English carde, from Old French carte, from Latin charta ‘paper’, from Ancient Greek χάρτης ‘papyrus’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχάρτηςkhártēs‘paper, papyrus’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcharta‘papyrus, paper’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400carte
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500carde‘playing card’
- Englishearliest quotation 1590card
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχάρτηςkhártēs‘paper, papyrus’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcharta‘papyrus, paper’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400carte
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500carde‘playing card’
- Englishearliest quotation 1590card
Earliest quotation: 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene: “As pilot well expert in perilous waue, / Vpon…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- ‘to scratch’
girl, rocket, chronic, chorus, synchronous, urchin, crony, synchronize, cron, germanium, 32 more
through Ancient Greek χάρτης ‘paper, papyrus’
through Latin charta ‘papyrus, paper’
chart, cartridge, cartel, carton, carte, cartography, cartouche, 10 more
Another origin of card
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-‘to cut’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*karōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcarō‘to comb with a card’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CE*caritoreconstructed
- Old Occitanc. 950–1500carda
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500carde
- Englishtodaycard
Another origin of card
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400carder
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500carden
- Englishtodaycard
Today it means
noun A playing card.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek χάρτης / card