Etymology Map
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Card

3 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means a piece of thick paper

Where does the word "card" come from? It comes from Greek khartēs, passing through Old French before entering English (1400s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
khartēs
Greek · ancient
"papyrus leaf"
Greek, possibly from Egyptian
2
Stage 2 of 3
carte
Old French · medieval
"paper, card"
came through Latin 'charta' and Italian
3
Stage 3 of 3
card
English · 1400s
"playing card"
the same root gives 'chart', 'charter' and 'cartoon'
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Read the full story

Card’s story begins in Greek: khartēs meant “papyrus leaf.” Greek, possibly from Egyptian. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as carte. Came through Latin 'charta' and Italian. It reached English by 1400s as card. The same root gives 'chart', 'charter' and 'cartoon'. Today, card means a piece of thick paper.