ecarte
lowformal
Definition
Meaning
A two-player card game, popular in the 19th century, where the goal is to win tricks by playing cards of the same suit or trumping.
A state or situation of being isolated, excluded, or set apart; can refer to a position of seclusion. Also refers to a ballet position where one leg is extended diagonally to the side.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word is a direct borrowing from French, retaining its original spelling with an accent. Its primary meaning relates to a historical card game, but it can be used metaphorically to describe isolation. In ballet, it's a specific technical term.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The word is equally rare in both variants. The metaphorical sense of 'isolation' might be slightly more recognized in literary British English, while the ballet term is standard internationally.
Connotations
Archaic, literary, or technical. Using it outside of historical or ballet contexts might seem pretentious or overly formal.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in general use. Found almost exclusively in historical novels, texts on card game history, or ballet manuals.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[play + ecarte][be + in ecarte (ballet)]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “live in ecarte (rare, literary: to live in seclusion)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Not used.
Academic
Used in historical studies of games or French cultural history.
Everyday
Virtually never used.
Technical
Standard term in ballet for the specified position.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- After dinner, the gentlemen retired to the library for a hand of écarté.
- Her life of luxury was also one of profound écarté from society's troubles.
American English
- The historical society demonstrated how écarté was played in the 1800s.
- The dancer held a perfect fourth-position écarté.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- This old book describes games like écarté.
- The nobility often played écarté in their private clubs during the Regency era.
- Choosing a life of intellectual écarté, he seldom engaged with the political debates of the day.
- The choreography required a swift transition from an arabesque to an écarté.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine an ÉCARd game being played in soliTARy isolaTE. (ÉCAR + TE).
Conceptual Metaphor
EXCLUSION IS BEING SIDELINED (from the card game where cards are discarded).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with Russian 'экарте' which is a direct transliteration but highly obscure. There is no common equivalent card game in Russian culture.
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling as 'ecart', 'ecarté', or 'e-carte'.
- Using it in modern conversation where 'solitaire' or 'isolation' would be appropriate.
- Incorrect stress: stressing the first syllable (EH-kart) instead of the last.
Practice
Quiz
In which field is the term 'écarté' a standard technical term today?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is very rare. It is used primarily in historical contexts or in the specific technical vocabulary of ballet.
There is no direct connection. They are homographs borrowed from French, where 'écarté' is the past participle of 'écarter' meaning 'to separate' or 'to spread apart'. The card game involves discarding/separation from the hand; the ballet position involves legs separated/spread.
Yes, in careful writing, the acute accent (é) is typically retained to mark its French origin, though it is sometimes dropped in English texts.
No, it is only used as a noun in English. The related French verb 'écarter' is not used as an English verb.