Ace
/eɪs/noun
A playing card with a single pip, or a person who is highly skilled at something.
Did you know?Ace comes through Old French from Latin as a word for “one,” and its card meaning spread from the lowest unit to the highest symbol of luck and dominance.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Rome
Latin
as
“A unit, especially a Roman coin or the number one”
Old French
Old French
as
“The side of a die marked with one spot; one”
Middle English
English
as
“A single point on a die, especially the side with one pip”
14th–15th Century
English
ace
“The playing card marked with one pip”
Modern English
English
ace
“A playing card with one pip; by extension, someone exceptionally skilled”