# card

Pronunciation: US say "KARD" /kɑɹd/; say "KAHD" UK /kɑːd/, AUS /kaːd/

## Noun

1. Any flat, normally rectangular piece of stiff paper, plastic, or similar material.
   - Simple: A flat piece of stiff paper or plastic, usually shaped like a rectangle.
   - _Before online catalogs, librarians kept a typed card for every book in rows of long wooden drawers._
   - _A laminated card next to the phone listed every emergency number._
2. A piece of plastic issued by a bank or store, such as a credit or debit card, that the holder uses to pay for things or withdraw cash.
   - Simple: A small piece of plastic from a bank or store that you use to pay for things or get cash.
   - _The machine at the register declined my card, so I had to pay in cash._
   - _We accept all major cards, but there is a small fee on purchases under ten dollars._
3. A small card showing a person's details, used to prove who they are or that they are a member of a club, library, or organization.
   - Simple: A small card with your details on it that shows who you are or what group you belong to.
   - _Visitors must show a valid card with a photo before they are allowed into the building._
   - _Members scan their cards at the entrance before using the pool._
4. One of a set of small, usually rectangular pieces of stiff paper or plastic marked with suits, numbers, or pictures, used for playing games.
   - Simple: A small piece of stiff paper or plastic with numbers or pictures on it, used to play games.
   - _She drew a card from the top of the deck and frowned at her hand._
   - _Fifty-two cards make up a standard deck, divided into four suits._
5. A decorated, folded piece of stiff paper bearing a printed or handwritten message, sent or given to mark a birthday, holiday, or other occasion.
   - Simple: A folded piece of stiff paper with a picture and a message, given for a birthday, holiday, or other occasion.
   - _The mantel was crowded with cards congratulating the couple on their anniversary._
   - _She mails a card to every cousin each December._
6. A removable electronic component inserted into a computer or other powered device to add capability, such as graphics, sound, or network access.
   - Simple: A small electronic part that you can put into a computer or other device to give it new abilities.
   - _He installed a faster card to improve the workstation's video performance._
   - _The router failed after one of its cards burned out._
7. A small printed rectangle bearing a person's name, position, and contact information, exchanged in professional settings.
   - Simple: A small piece of stiff paper that shows a person's name, job, and how to reach them.
   - _After the conference, my pocket was stuffed with cards from potential clients._
   - _The consultant slid her card across the table before leaving the meeting._
8. A game itself that is played with a pack of playing cards, such as poker, bridge, or solitaire, or such games in general.
   - Simple: A game that people play with a deck of playing cards.
   - _The sailors passed the long voyage playing cards below deck._
   - _Tuesday's card night drew half the retirement home to the lounge._
9. The list of matches, fights, or races at a sporting event, such as a boxing or wrestling show or a race meeting.
   - Simple: A list of the matches, fights, or races that will happen at a sports event.
   - _Tonight's card features five matches, ending with a championship bout._
   - _The promoter reshuffled the card after the champion pulled out with an injury._
12. A resource or argument that someone uses to achieve a purpose.
   - Simple: Something you can use, like a fact or an advantage, to help you get what you want.
   - _The union's strongest card was the threat of a strike during the holiday rush._
   - _He played the loyalty card, reminding his boss of ten years of faithful service._
10. Ellipsis of report card, chiefly in the Philippines. *(Philippines)* — Ellipsis of report card.
   - Simple: Short for report card. Used mainly in the Philippines, at school, when everyone knows you mean grades.
   - _She hid her card in her backpack until she could explain the failing grade._
   - _His card showed straight A's, so his parents took him out for pizza._
14. Someone whose humor and often slightly eccentric ways make them fun to be around. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A funny person who makes others laugh, often in a slightly strange way.
   - _My old roommate was a card, forever staging elaborate pranks on the neighbors._
   - _Everyone at the office considered him a card, always good for a story at lunch._
15. One of a set of pages or forms in a user interface that the user can navigate between and fill with data.
   - Simple: One of several pages on a screen that you can move between and fill in.
   - _Each card in the signup flow collects a different piece of information._
   - _Swipe left to reach the card where you enter payment details._
16. Paper that is thicker and more durable than ordinary writing or printing paper, but thinner and more flexible than other paperboard; card stock, used for postcards and playing cards.
   - Simple: Thick, strong paper that bends a little, used for things like postcards.
   - _Menus printed on glossy card hold up better than ones printed on plain paper._
   - _She folded a piece of card into a small stand for her phone._
18. A piece of printed text filmed and edited into a movie or program's action to convey character dialogue or narrative information; an intertitle or title card.
   - Simple: Text shown on the screen during a movie or show to explain the story or what people say.
   - _A card flashed between scenes to explain that ten years had passed._
   - _Silent films cut to a card whenever a character delivered an important line._
19. A hand-held tool resembling a hairbrush but with wire bristles, used to untangle, clean, and straighten raw fibers such as wool or cotton before spinning.
   - Simple: A brush with stiff wire teeth used to clean and straighten wool or cotton before spinning.
   - _Working a card in each hand, she drew the fleece back and forth until the fibers lay parallel._
   - _Bits of straw and dirt collected in the card's wire teeth as she worked._
22. A still image broadcast by a television station so that picture quality, color, and transmission can be checked and adjusted.
   - Simple: A picture that a TV station shows to test that the screen and colors look right.
   - _Before broadcasts began each morning, the station transmitted a card so technicians could adjust their equipment._
   - _Viewers who tuned in after midnight saw only a card of color bars and gray squares._
11. A printed form for recording the score of a game or contest, such as a golfer's strokes, the points a boxing judge awards, or each batsman's runs and manner of dismissal in a cricket innings.
   - Simple: A printed card or sheet for writing down the score in a game such as golf, boxing or cricket.
   - _He was disqualified after signing an incorrect card at the end of the second round._
   - _One judge scored the fight a draw, but the other two had the challenger winning on their cards._

## Verb

13. To check someone's identification, especially to confirm that they meet a minimum age requirement. *(US)*
   - Simple: To check someone's ID, especially to make sure they are old enough.
   - _Bars near campus card every customer at the door._
   - _Security carded the whole group, even the gray-haired chaperone._
17. To finish with a particular score, as entered on one's scorecard, especially in golf.
   - Simple: To get a certain score in a game, written down on a score card.
   - _Four shots back, he will need to card a 66 or better on Sunday to have a chance at the title._
   - _She carded a 68 in the final round to win the tournament._

## Noun

20. An attraction or inducement, something likely to draw interest or bring people in. *(dated)*
   - Simple: Something that pulls people in or makes them want to come.
   - _With late hours and free parking, the night market has become a major drawing card for the downtown area._
   - _Organizers were counting on the celebrity chef to be a drawing card strong enough to sell out opening night._
23. A brief published note containing a short statement, explanation, request, or expression of thanks. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A short public note, usually in a newspaper, that thanks people, explains something, or asks for something.
   - _After the funeral, the widow placed a card of thanks in the county paper._
   - _The candidate published a card denying any connection with the failed bank._
24. A machine for disentangling and straightening the fibers of wool in preparation for spinning. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A machine that untangles wool and lays the fibers straight before spinning.
   - _The card hummed all day, turning matted fleece into soft, even slivers._
   - _When the card jammed, the whole spinning room fell idle._
25. Material with short wire bristles embedded in its surface. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A material with many short, stiff wire bristles set into it.
   - _The mill replaced the worn card on its rollers every few seasons._
   - _Fine card with closely set teeth produced a smoother, cleaner fiber._
26. A map or chart, as of the land, the seas, or the heavens. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A map or chart showing lands, seas, or stars.

## Verb

21. To play cards as a pastime. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To spend time playing card games.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In formal debating, a verbatim citation from a published source, read aloud as evidence to support a point.
- (noun) A perforated plate of pasteboard or sheet metal that controls the warp threads in the Jacquard mechanism of a loom.
- (noun) Ellipsis of compass card.
- (noun) In graph theory, a graph obtained from a given graph by deleting a single vertex.
- (noun) A diagram traced by an engine indicator, recording the pressure inside a cylinder through each stroke of the engine.
- (noun) A tool with rows of wire teeth, used to brush up the soft surface fibers of cloth.
- (noun) The soft, untwisted strand of fiber, often wool, that comes out of a carding machine before spinning.
- (verb) To comb raw wool or other fiber with a toothed tool so that the strands lie straight and untangled, ready to be spun.
- (verb) To rip a person's skin with an iron comb in order to torture them.
- (verb) To clean something out or clear it away, as though combing it with a carding tool.
- (verb) To blend one thing into another, especially to mix something good with something weaker or poorer.
- (noun) A short informal name for the cardinal, a North American songbird.
- (noun) An old spelling of chard, the leafy green vegetable.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–18, 20–23, 26** — Ancient Greek khártēs ("paper, papyrus") became Latin charta and then Old French carte, which Middle English took as carde ("playing card"). Chart is a doublet.
**Meanings 19, 24–25** — The chain starts with Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ("to cut"), source of Latin carō ("to comb with a card") and Late Latin *carito. That gave the Old Occitan verb cardar, whose noun carda passed into Old French and Middle English as carde.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/card (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).