Where does “wildcard” come from?
Wildcard combines English wild and English cardinal, from Middle French cardinal (the bird or color), from Latin cardinālis (adjective suffix -ālis attached to carduus, thistle), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wel- and (s)ker-.
wildcard (English): A character that takes the place of any other...
Definitions
- A character that takes the place of any other...
Ancestry of “wildcard”, step by step
wildcard 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 |