Main Entry: ³card

Function: 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 sing or plural in constr 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 cards 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 also on the cards : inevitable <success just wasn't in the cards for her>