Tarot
/ˈtær.oʊ/noun
A deck of cards used for playing games or for divination.
Did you know?The word entered English from French, but the cards themselves were long treated as a game before occult writers in the 18th century recast them as tools of hidden wisdom.
Etymological Timeline
15th Century
Italian
tarocchi
“A card game played with a special trump suit”
16th Century
French
tarot
“A deck of playing cards used in the game of tarot”
18th Century
French
tarot
“Cards reinterpreted in occult and divinatory systems”
18th Century
English
tarot
“A pack of cards used for fortune-telling or card games”
Modern English
English
tarot
“A deck of cards used for playing games or for divination”