écarté

1 of 2

noun

écar·té

¦āˌkär¦tā,

āˈkärˌtā

plural -s

: a two-handed card game which is played with a 32-card pack and in which each player is dealt 5 cards and has the right to replace any or all of them before play can begin, the object being to win at least 3 tricks in a given hand

écarté

2 of 2

adjective

ballet, of the legs

: held wide apart with an oblique side extension of one foot and the same arm

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, from past participle of écarter to discard, from é- (from Latin ex-) + -carter (from carte card)

Adjective

French, past participle of écarter to separate, spread apart, from Old French escarter, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin exquartare to divide into four parts, from Latin ex- + (assumed) Vulgar Latin -quartare, from Latin quartus fourth