Cartouche
/kɑːrˈtuːʃ/noun
An ornamental frame, especially the oval enclosing an Egyptian ruler’s hieroglyphic name.
Did you know?The Egyptian name-frame was called a cartouche by French scholars because its elongated loop resembled a firearm cartridge, not because ancient Egyptians used that word.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
khártēs
“Papyrus or sheet of paper”
Classical Latin
Latin
charta
“Sheet of papyrus, paper, or writing material”
Medieval Latin
Latin
chartula
“A small document or little sheet”
16th Century
Italian
cartoccio
“A paper cone, wrapper, or small roll of paper”
16th–17th Century
French
cartouche
“A cartridge or rolled paper container”
18th Century
French
cartouche
“An ornamental frame, especially the oval enclosing Egyptian royal names”