Trump Card
/ˈtrʌmp ˌkɑːrd/noun
A playing card belonging to the suit designated as highest for a particular hand, or a decisive advantage in a situation.
Did you know?In early European card games, the trump suit was called the “triumph” suit—a linguistic echo of the ceremonial Roman triumph, the conqueror’s victory procession.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
thriambos
“A ritual song or celebration associated with Dionysus; later connected with triumphal celebration.”
Classical Latin
Latin
triumphus
“A triumph or ceremonial victory procession awarded to a victorious Roman commander.”
12th–13th Century
Old French
triumphe
“Triumph or victory; the source of the card-game term.”
15th Century
French
triomphe
“A card game in which one suit functioned as the winning or superior suit.”
16th Century
English
trump
“A shortened English form of “triumph,” referring to the winning suit in a card game.”
17th Century
English
trump card
“A card of the trump suit, later extended metaphorically to mean a powerful decisive resource.”
Explore more surprising origins