OMBRE

card game for three players, fashionable in Europe in the 17th century and into the 18th but now practically obsolete. It was similar to Whist, involving bidding, trump suit, and taking tricks. Originally played with the Spanish packs of 40 or 48 cards, it was adapted to the French pack of 52. In the course of time it acquired terms from Spanish, French, Italian, and English, as well as a great complexity of rules. The game has been traced as far back as the 14th century. As late as 1884 a standard manual stated, Of all games, undoubtedly the most interesting, diversified, and widely known is Ombre. A variant for four players, called Quadrille, supplanted Ombre in popularity. A simplification of Quadrille, usually called Solo, is still played.