Where does “postcard” come from?
postcard (English) comes from English card, from Middle English carde, from Old French carte, from Latin charta, from French cartel, from Italian cartello, from Italian carta, from Latin carta — to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines.
postcard (English): A rectangular piece of thick paper or thin...
Definitions
- A rectangular piece of thick paper or thin...
Ancestry of “postcard”, step by step
postcard traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English card
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | card | A playing card; Any game using playing cards; a... |
| 2 | Middle English | carde | playing card |
| 3 | Old French | carte | Alternative form of chartre |
| 4 | Latin | charta | papyrus, paper; poem, a writing; map |
| 5 | French | cartel | a cartel |
| 6 | Italian | cartello | sign, notice, placard, signboard; signpost, road... |
| 7 | Italian | carta | paper; map; menu |
| 8 | Latin | carta | papyrus; letter etc |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | χάρτης | sheet of paper, paper; book |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | χαράσσω | to sharpen; to engrave, carve, write, draw, stamp |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰer- | to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines |
via English post
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | post | A long dowel or plank protruding from the ground;... |
| 2 | Middle French | poste | — |
| 3 | Italian | posta | mail, post; post office; stakes |
| 4 | Italian | posto | place, spot |
| 5 | Latin | positus | placed; ordained |
| 6 | Latin | pōnō | to place; to put; to lay |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | poznō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | pozinō | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | sinō | — |