I. ˈkärd transitive verb
Date: 14th century
: to cleanse, disentangle, and collect together (as fibers) by the use of cards preparatory to spinning
• card·er noun
II. noun
Etymology: Middle English carde, from Medieval Latin cardus, carduus, thistle, carding instrument, from Latin carduus thistle — more at chard
Date: 15th century
1. : an instrument or machine for carding fibers that consists usually of bent wire teeth set closely in rows in a thick piece of leather fastened to a back
2. : an implement for raising a nap on cloth
III. noun
Etymology: Middle English carde, from Anglo-French, alteration of Middle French carte, probably from Old Italian carta, literally, leaf of paper, from Latin charta leaf of papyrus, from Greek chartēs
Date: 15th century
1. : playing card
2. plural but singular or plural in construction
a. : a game played with cards
b. : card playing
3.
a. : something (as an advantage) compared to a valuable playing card in one's hand
holding all the card s in negotiations
b. : an issue especially with emotional appeal that is brought into play to achieve a desired end (as winning a political campaign)
played the race card
4. : a usually clownishly amusing person : wag
he's such a card
5. : compass card
6.
a. : a flat stiff usually small and rectangular piece of material (as paper, cardboard, or plastic) usually bearing information: as
(1) : postcard
(2) : visiting card
(3) : business card
(4) : credit card
(5) : one bearing a picture (as of a baseball player) on one side and usually statistical data on the other
(6) : one on which computer information is stored (as in the form of punched holes or magnetic encoding)
(7) : one bearing electronic circuit components for insertion into a larger electronic device (as a computer)
b. : program ; especially : a sports program
three fights on the card
c.
(1) : a wine list
(2) : menu
d. : greeting card
a birthday card
•
- in the cards
IV. transitive verb
Date: 1884
1. : to place or fasten on or by means of a card
2. : to provide with a card
3. : to list or record on a card
4. : score
a golfer card ing a 75
5. : to ask for identification (as in a bar)
we all got card ed
V. abbreviation
cardinal