Etymologically
Log in

carta

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 21 October 2026 at 20:02. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

Forms

carta f (plural carte, diminutive cartìna, pejorative cartàccia)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin charta (“sheet of papyrus; writing, letter”), from Ancient Greek χάρτης (khártēs, “leaf of papyrus”), a Greek word of uncertain origin.[2][3][4][5] Latin made it feminine.[1]

The word is found throughout Romance.[3][5] According to the LEI, the original sense “sheet of paper” survives only in Italo-Romance and in Old Spanish, while the sense “written sheet, letter, document” is widespread: Romanian carte (“letter, book”), Old French charte (“charter”), Old Occitan carta (“letter”), Catalan carta, Spanish carta and Portuguese carta.[6][7][3] The writing material was not only papyrus but also birch bark, as the early loan Old High German charza shows: it became German Kerze (“candle”), because the bark was soaked in oil.[6]

Many derivatives go back to Latin chartula (“small paper; deed”), which Late and Medieval Latin used for notarial documents: cartolaio, cartolare and cartolina.[2][3] Cartoccio was borrowed as French cartouche, and scartare “to discard (cards)” as French écarter.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is the sense “document recording a legal agreement”, in the Breve di Montieri of 1219, a Tuscan statute.[2][4] The material, the thin sheet made from pulped fibres, is first recorded in Brunetto Latini, who died in 1294;[2][6] Old Veronese charta is of the 13th century.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

Playing cards are recorded before 1419, in Giovanni Dominici, and Medieval Latin already had ludus a cartis at Piacenza in the 13th century.[2][5] A map is a carta from 1435–1443, the constitution of a state (carta costituzionale) from 1800, and the restaurant menu from before 1866, in Massimo d'Azeglio.[8][2] Petrarch's “né carta e inchiostro / bastarebben al vero” (neither paper nor ink would be enough for the truth) and Marco Polo's account of Chinese paper money made from the inner bark of a tree show the material in the 14th century.[9]

Compounds record old crafts: carta di pecora “sheepskin parchment” (13th century) became cartapecora in Pietro Bembo, carta pesta “papier-mâché” is found in Sienese art documents of the 14th–15th centuries, and carta di straccio “paper of rags” became cartastraccia.[2] Modern compounds name documents and means of payment: carta d'identità and carta di credito.[1][10]

German has Karte from 1411, in the senses “sheet”, then “sea chart” and “playing card”, though it is normally traced to French.[8] Italian carta was borrowed into Greek, Hungarian, Maltese and Amharic.[1]

Timeline

  • 1219 – Carta “legal document” in the Breve di Montieri.[2]
  • 13th century – Medieval Latin ludus a cartis “card game” at Piacenza.[5]
  • Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses carta for the material.[2][8]
  • Before 1419 – Playing cards in Giovanni Dominici.[2][8]
  • 1411 – German Karte is first recorded.[8]
  • 1435–1443 – Charta in the sense “map”.[8]
  • 1800 – Carta costituzionale “constitution” in Ranza.[2]
  • Before 1866 – Massimo d'Azeglio uses carta for a menu.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. paper, the material made from cellulose or other fibres pressed into thin sheets, used for writing, printing and wrapping: Ha incartato il libro con la carta da regalo.[4][11][12][1]
  2. A sheet of writing, a written or printed page, (plural) papers, documents: Sul suo tavolo c'erano carte dappertutto.[4][13][14]
  3. An official document or deed, carte personali, personal papers: Bisogna firmare le carte dal notaio.[4][13]
  4. A formal declaration of principles; a charter or constitution: Carta dei diritti dell'uomo.[4][13][14]
  5. A playing card, especially in the plural: Dopo cena giocavano a carte.[4][13][1]
  6. A map, geographical, nautical or thematic: carta geografica, carta nautica.[13][1]
  7. The menu in a restaurant, alla carta, à la carte.[13][14][1]
  8. A card for identification or payment: carta d'identità, carta di credito.[1][10]

Word family

  • cartaceo
  • cartaio
  • cartapecora
  • cartapesta
  • cartastraccia
  • cartamoneta
  • cartella
  • cartello
  • cartellone
  • cartina
  • cartoccio
  • cartiera
  • carteggio
  • cartone
  • cartolaio
  • cartoleria
  • cartolina
  • cartografia
  • cartomanzia
  • incartare
  • scartare
  • cartaccia
  • cartario
  • cartificio
  • cartola
  • cartotecnica
  • cartuccia
  • cartulario
  • Latin charta
  • French carte

Usage notes

Set phrases with the playing-card sense are common: mettere le carte in tavola “to lay one's cards on the table”, cambiare le carte in tavola “to shift one's ground”, avere le carte in regola “to have the right qualifications”.[4][5] Carta canta (“paper sings”) is said to show that a written document cannot be denied.[4] Sulla carta means “in theory”.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  3. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b c d e Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 784
  6. ^ a b c d Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 13, 1340
  7. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  8. ^ a b c d e f Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
  9. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 2, 807
  10. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  11. ^ Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  12. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  13. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  14. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana