card

noun, verb — 40 senses

card

noun

UK /kɑːd/ · US /kɑɹd/

Etymology From Middle English carde (“playing card”), from Old French carte, from Latin charta, from Ancient Greek χάρτης (khártēs, “paper, papyrus”). Doublet of carte and chart.

27 senses
  1. 1A playing card.
  2. 2Any game using playing cards; a card game.
  3. 3A resource or argument, used to achieve a purpose. (See…
  4. 4Any flat, normally rectangular piece of stiff paper…
  5. 5A bank card.
  6. 6Any electronic payment (rather than a cash payment using…
  7. 7Paper that is thicker and more durable than normal…
  8. 8A map or chart.
  9. 9An amusing or entertaining person, often slightly eccentric.
  10. 10A list of scheduled events or of performers or…
  11. 11A tabular presentation of the key statistics of an…
  12. 12A removable electronic device that may be inserted into…
  13. 13Any of a set of pages or forms that the user can…
  14. 14A greeting card.
  15. 15A business card.
  16. 16A title card or intertitle: a piece of filmed, printed…
  17. 17A test card.
  18. 18In formal debating, a verbatim citation used as evidence…
  19. 19A published note, containing a brief statement…
  20. 20A printed programme.
  21. 21An attraction or inducement.
  22. 22Ellipsis of compass card.
  23. 23A perforated pasteboard or sheet-metal plate for warp…
  24. 24A graph formed from a given graph by deleting one vertex.
  25. 25An indicator card.
  26. 26Ellipsis of report card.
  27. 27A form signed by an employee to agree to representation…
1

A playing card.

  • As each card is played in blackjack, it changes the possibilities for both player and dealer by diminishing the number and the variety of cards that may be dealt.1963 January 25, “Games: Beating the Dealer”, in Time:
2

In plural Any game using playing cards; a card game.

  • He played cards with his friends.
3

A resource or argument, used to achieve a purpose. (See play the something card.)

  • The government played the Orange card to get support for their Ireland policy.
  • He accused them of playing the race card.
2 more examples
  • Having adopted civil union as their goal, proponents of the Civil Union Bill were sensitive to the need not to overplay the human rights card, aware that there was a significant degree of resistance in the New Zealand […]2007, Luke McNamara, Human Rights Controversies: The Impact of Legal Form, page 138:
  • Realizing he is now boxed in on all sides, Hipper decides the only remaining card he has to play is to sell his ships as dearly as possible. The remaining German ships make a hard turn southeast, and drive headlong at the Grand Fleet. It is a brave gesture, but only eight of the ships emerge from the pall of smoke that roughly marks the original German line of advance. Two more emerge minutes later, but that is all.2018 October 17, Drachinifel, 24:24 from the start, in Last Ride of the High Seas Fleet - Battle of Texel 1918, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2022:
4

Any flat, normally rectangular piece of stiff paper, plastic, etc.

5

A bank card.

6

Any electronic payment (rather than a cash payment using notes, bills or coins).

  • Cashier: "Cash or card? Customer: "I'm paying on my phone, so card."
7

Paper that is thicker and more durable than normal writing or printing paper, but thinner and more flexible than paperboard, used for postcards, playing cards, etc.; card stock.

  • Do you have any card? I want to make a poster.
8

Obsolete A map or chart.

  • As pilot well expert in perilous waue, / Vpon his card and compas firmes his eye […].1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, II.vii:
9

Informal An amusing or entertaining person, often slightly eccentric.

  • "He's a cheery old card," muttered Harry to Jack / As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack. / . . . / But he did for them both by his plan of attack.1918, Siegfried Sassoon, The General:
  • MAREK: But really the deadpan is key. You can essentially trick people into laughing at nothing. EVE: Oh, Marek, you card.2007, Meredith Gran, Octopus Pie #71: Deadpan:
1 more example
  • 'What a card!' Doreen said. 'Isn't he a card?'1963, Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar:
10

A list of scheduled events or of performers or contestants; chiefly used in professional wrestling.

  • What's on the card for tonight?
11

Ball games, Cricket, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A tabular presentation of the key statistics of an innings or match: batsmen’s scores and how they were dismissed, extras, total score and bowling figures.

12

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences A removable electronic device that may be inserted into a powered electronic device to provide additional capability.

  • He needed to replace the card his computer used to connect to the internet.
13

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Any of a set of pages or forms that the user can navigate between, and fill with data, in certain user interfaces.

  • The button will "see" the cursor through a card domain graphic; you can then change button graphics on each card.1993, Danny Goodman, The Complete HyperCard 2.2 Handbook, page 198:
  • The interaction model of WAP, originally developed for mobile phones to interact with information services in a web-like way, was based on Apple's HyperCard, and instead of pages, the user interacted with a deck of cards, which were interlinked by a scripting language.2008, Johan Hjelm, Why IPTV?: Interactivity, Technologies, Services, page 13:
1 more example
  • The basic building blocks of WML applications are cards. Cards are equivalent to HTML pages. Just as Web browser can show only one page at a time (except when using frames), a WAP enabled device can also show only one card at a time.2012, Veljko Milutinovic, Frédéric Patricelli, Mastering E-Business Infrastructure, page 329:
14

A greeting card.

  • She gave her neighbors a card congratulating them on their new baby.
15

A business card.

  • The realtor gave me her card so I could call if I had any questions about buying a house.
16

Broadcasting, Media, Television A title card or intertitle: a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of the photographed action at various points, generally to convey character dialogue or descriptive narrative material related to the plot.

17

A test card.

18

In formal debating, a verbatim citation used as evidence for a point.

  • You can make most theory answers without cards, but some cards do exist which specifically criticize kritiks on a theoretical basis.2011, N. Andre Cossette, The Art of Debate: 12th Edition, page 123:
19

Dated A published note, containing a brief statement, explanation, request, expression of thanks, etc.

  • to put a card in the newspapers
20

Dated A printed programme.

21

Broadly, Dated, Figuratively An attraction or inducement.

  • This will be a good card for the last day of the fair.
22

Nautical, Transport Abbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of compass card.

  • "The Lord possessed me [= Wisdom] in the beginning of his way, even before his works of old was I set up;" that law, which hath been the pattern to make, and is the card to guide the world by1594, Richard Hooker, Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, 1.2.5, page 153 (Everyman edition, vol. 1):
  • All the quarters that they know / I' the shipman's card.c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
23

Business, Manufacturing, Textiles, Weaving A perforated pasteboard or sheet-metal plate for warp threads, making part of the Jacquard apparatus of a loom.

24

Graph theory, Mathematics, Sciences A graph formed from a given graph by deleting one vertex.

25

An indicator card.

26

Education Philippines, Abbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of report card.

  • Where's your card? I want to see your grades.
27

A form signed by an employee to agree to representation by a union.

Industrial relations

Derived terms
378 terms3 card monte, 3-card monte, 52-card pickup, accelerator card, affinity card, altar card, at-home card, audio card, backcard, bank card, bankcard, baseball card, bingo card, birthday card, black card, blue card, boardcard, boarding card, Bod card, borrowing card, breast one's cards, business card, cabinet card, calling-card, calling card, capture card, card assembly, card-battler, cardbearer, cardboard, card-carrying, cardcase, card catalog, card catalogue, card clash, card-clothing, card counter, card counting, card-dead, card file, card-file system, card flourishing, card game, card girl, card giving, cardholder, cardholding, card house, card-house, cardhouse, cardician, card-index, cardistry, card key, cardless, cardlike, cardmaker, cardmaking, card mechanic, cardmember, card of introduction, card of ten, card phone, cardphone, cardplay, cardplayer, cardplaying, card punch, card-reader, card reader, card removal, cardroom, card-room, cardshark, card shark, card-sharp, cardsharp, card sharp, cardsharper, cardsharping, card stand, card stock, card stunt, card table, card tart, card trick, card wallet, cardware, cash card, chance card, charge card, chargecard, CharlieCard, cheque card, chest one's cards, chewcard, chica chica card, chipcard, chip card, Christmas card, cigarette card, clue card, coat card, community card, compass card, comp card, condolence card, contact card, contactless card, cooling card, cotton card, court card, courtesy card, credit card, credit card tart, credit card terminal, cue card, cut card, dance-card, dance card, daughtercard, death card, debit card, deck of cards, dinner-card, discard, discount card, disloyalty card, donor card, downcard, do you accept credit cards, draft card, drawcard, drawing card, duty card, e-card, e-gift card, Ethernet card, Eurocard, expansion card, face card, falsecard, fare card, farecard, few cards short of a full deck, few cards shy of a full deck, fidelity card, file-card, file card, filmcard, filter card, five-card stud, flash card, flashcard, flipcard, gaijin card, gamecard, gender card, get-out-of-jail-free card, get out of jail free card, gift card, give someone his cards, give someone their cards, gold card, Grace's card, graphics card, green card, greeting card, greetings card, hand card, hand someone his cards, hand someone their cards, have the cards, have the cards in one's hands, high card, high-card, hold all of the cards, hold all the cards, hold the cards, hole card, Hollerith card, holy card, honor card, honour card, house of cards, hovercard, how-to-vote card, HTV card, hypercard, ID card, identicard, identification card, identity card, idiot card, index card, indicator card, inlay card, in the cards, J-card, Kardex, keep one's cards close to one's chest, keycard, key card, king card, k'rect card, laser card, lay one's cards on the table, lettercard, letter card, library card, line card, liner card, lobby card, loyalty card, magnetic card, mark someone's card, Mass card, Mastercard, maxi-card, maxi card, maximum card, Meghdoot card, membership card, memory card, menage-a-card, MetroCard, microcard, milk card, Miranda card, model card, name card, network card, network interface card, noncard, notecard, note card, Octopus card, one card short of a full deck, one card shy of a full deck, on the cards, oracle card, orange card, overcard, Oyster card, pack of cards, palm card, party card, party membership card, party-membership card, passcard, passport card, pattern card, payment card, PC Card, peekaboo card, penalty card, phonecard, phone card, photocard, picture card, piecard, place card, place one's cards on the table, plasticard, play all one's cards, player's card, playing card, play one's cards well, play the gender card, play the Nazi card, play the race card, play the victim card, poll card, post card, postcard, prayer card, press card, punch card, punchcard, punched card, pushcard, put one's cards on the table, QSL card, rabbi card, racecard, race card, railcard, rape card, rate card, ration card, rebbe card, red card, red-card, re-entry card, report card, reward card, rookie card, safety card, scorecard, scratch card, SD card, SDHC card, sea card, second yellow card, Sed card, seven-card stud, shared card, Shirley card, showcard, show one's cards, shuffle the cards, SIM card, small card, small-card, smartcard, smart card, sound card, soundcard, speak by the card, sports card, spot card, stack the cards, status card, storecard, stored-value card, storm card, straight red card, swipecard, swipe card, sympathy card, system card, tarot card, tart card, tea card, telephone card, test card, thank you card, three card brag, three-card marney, three-card monte, three-card shuffle, three-card trick, three-card trickster, throw in the cards, timecard, time card, title card, tourist card, trade card, trading card, travelcard, trollcard, trump card, trust everybody, but cut the cards, uncredit card, undercard, union card, Uno reverse card, upcard, vanity card, V card, V-card, Ventra card, video card, visiting card, waist card, warning card, warrant card, wedding card, white card, wild-card, wildcard, wild card, window card, yellow card, yellow-card, Z card, Zener card
Hyponyms
court card, affinity card, credit card, debit card

card

verb

Etymology From Middle English carde (“playing card”), from Old French carte, from Latin charta, from Ancient Greek χάρτης (khártēs, “paper, papyrus”). Doublet of carte and chart.

1

US To check IDs, especially against a minimum age requirement.

  • They have to card anybody who looks 21 or younger.
  • I heard you don't get carded at the other liquor store.
1 more example
  • Ted (Keanu Reeves): Whoa. He didn't even card us, dude. / Bill (Alex Winter): Yeah, we have to remember this place.1989, Chris Matheson, Ed Solomon, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (motion picture):
2

Dated To play cards.

  • For Corinius, who gave not a fig for music or dirges, but liked well of carding and dicing, had brought forth his dice box to play with the son of Corund.1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC, page 32:
3

Golf, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports To make (a stated score), as recorded on a scoring card.

  • McIlroy carded a stellar nine-under-par 61 in the final round.

card

noun

Etymology From Middle English carde, Old French carde, from Old Occitan carda, deverbal from cardar, from Late Latin *carito, from Latin carō (“to comb with a card”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut”).

1

Dated Material with embedded short wire bristles.

2

Business, Manufacturing, Textiles Dated A comb- or brush-like device or tool to raise the nap on a fabric.

3

Business, Manufacturing, Textiles A hand-held tool formed similarly to a hairbrush but with bristles of wire or other rigid material. It is used principally with raw cotton, wool, hair, or other natural fibers to prepare these materials for spinning into yarn or thread on a spinning wheel, with a whorl or other hand-held spindle. The card serves to untangle, clean, remove debris from, and lay the fibers straight.

4

Business, Manufacturing, Textiles Dated A machine for disentangling the fibres of wool prior to spinning.

5

A roll or sliver of fibre (as of wool) delivered from a carding machine.

Derived terms
cardlike

card

verb

Etymology From Middle English carden, from Old French carder, from carde (“cotton card”); see Etymology 2 for more.

1

Business, Manufacturing, Textiles To use a carding device to disentangle the fibres of wool prior to spinning.

  • "Isn't that true, Bertha? " asked the smith. "Yes, every word of it, my lad," said Mother Bertha, who was sitting near the hearth carding.1886, Peter Christen Asbjø￵rnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 252:
2

To scrape or tear someone’s flesh using a metal comb, as a form of torture.

3

To comb with a card; to cleanse or disentangle by carding.

  • to card a horse
  • the carded wool, he says, Is smoothly lapp'd around those cylinders1757, John Dyer, The Fleece:
4

Figuratively, Obsolete To clean or clear, as if by using a card.

  • It is necessary that this book carded and purged of certain base things.1612, Miguel de Cervantes, translated by Thomas Shelton, Don Quixote:
5

Obsolete To mix or mingle, as with an inferior or weaker article.

  • that card your beer, if you see your guests begin to be drunk, half small and half strong1592, Robert Greene, A Quip for an Upstart Courtier:
Derived terms
carding-comb

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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