Where does “sympathy card” come from?
sympathy card (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.
sympathy card (English): A greeting card sent to family members of one who has died to express regret
Definitions
- A greeting card sent to family members of one who has died to express regret
Ancestry of “sympathy card”, step by step
sympathy card 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 sympathy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sympathy | A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or... |
| 2 | Middle French | sympathie | sympathy; harmony |
| 3 | Latin | sympathīa | feeling in common, sympathy |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | συμπάθεια | fellow feeling, sympathy; affection, affinity;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | συμπαθής | affected by like feelings; sympathetic |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -ής | adjective suffix |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |