écarté

[ ey-kahr-tey; British ey-kahr-tey; French ey-kar-tey ]

noun

1. a card game for two players.

écarté

/ ekarte; eɪˈkɑːteɪ /

noun

1. a card game for two, played with 32 cards and king high
2. ballet
   1. a body position in which one arm and the same leg are extended at the side of the body
   2. ( as adjective )

      the écarté position

Word History and Origins

Origin of écarté¹

Borrowed into English from French around 1815–25

Word History and Origins

Origin of écarté¹

C19: from French, from écarter to discard, from carte card ¹

Example Sentences

A fine gambler as well, losing games of ecarte at five thousand francs the fish without flinching.

From Project Gutenberg

Suspecting some minor peril, I left the ecarte players, and joined the gentleman in the dinner-jacket.

From Project Gutenberg

These were for those who preferred to play piquet or ecarte, two or three couples being so engaged.

From Project Gutenberg

Any day a countess or an actress or a run of luck at ecarte might set him up with an outfit worthy of a king.

From Project Gutenberg

Madame Descoings had promised Bixiou, her so-called step-son, that the young people should play at ecarte.

From Project Gutenberg