CARTOUCHE


Meaning of CARTOUCHE in English

[ kα:'tu:ʃ ]

■ noun

1》 a carved tablet or drawing representing a scroll with rolled-up ends, used ornamentally or bearing an inscription.

↘a decorative architectural feature resembling a scroll.

↘an ornate frame around a design or inscription.

2》 Archaeology an oval or oblong enclosing a group of Egyptian hieroglyphs, typically representing the name and title of a monarch.

Origin

C17: from Fr. ~ (masculine), earlier cartoche , from Ital. cartoccio , from carta , from L. carta , charta (see card 1 ).

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.