card

The word “card” means a small, flat piece of stiff paper or plastic, used for games, messages, payments, or identification. In plain terms, a small flat piece of paper or plastic used for messages, games, payment, or ID — or (as a verb) to check someone's ID.

“Card” is pronounced kahd (/kɑɹd/ in IPA).

Here is “card” used in a sentence: “She sent a birthday card to her grandmother.”

Depending on how it is used, “card” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “card” comes from Latin. From Old French carte, from Latin charta, "paper," ultimately from Greek khartes, "papyrus" — the same root as "chart.".

“Card” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Card” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a small, flat piece of stiff paper or plastic, used for games, messages, payments, or identification.

The word covers several everyday items, including playing cards for games, greeting cards for birthdays and holidays, credit and debit cards for payments, identity and membership cards, and business cards. What they share is the format, a small, flat, stiff rectangle of paper or plastic, rather than a single purpose.

Card, also called cardstock, is simply thicker and stiffer than paper. Ordinary paper bends and folds easily, while card holds its shape, which is why it is used for playing cards, packaging, and greeting cards. There is no exact cut-off, but card is heavier and more rigid than a sheet of paper.

A playing card is a familiar example, a small rectangle of stiff paper used in games. Other everyday examples include a birthday card, a bank card used to pay, a business card, and an ID card. Each is flat, stiff, and easily held or carried.