What does quatorze mean?
Quatorze is an unusual English word best known for a card game resembling bridge, in which players can score 14 points by taking every trick. It may also refer to a hand or set of fourteen cards. Although the word appears in older English as a way of saying “fourteen,” it is now largely confined to specialist card-game terminology. The spelling may look complicated to English speakers, but the word has a straightforward history: it comes directly from French quatorze, meaning “fourteen.” In French, quatorze remains a completely ordinary word used constantly in dates, quantities, ages, and conversation. Its survival in English gives it an antiquarian and specialist flavor, making it especially suitable for writing about traditional card games, historical texts, or the influence of French on everyday vocabulary. Although unfamiliar to many modern English speakers, quatorze is precise and memorable, with a particularly strong connection to cards.
nounA card game resembling bridge in which 14 points are scored for taking all the tricks. The word can also denote a hand or set of fourteen cards and, historically in English, the number fourteen.
- A card game resembling bridge in which 14 points are scored for taking all the tricks.
- A hand or set of fourteen cards.
- The number fourteen, in archaic or French-influenced usage.
"They spent a relaxed evening playing quatorze around the old oak table."
"The club scheduled two games of quatorze for Saturday evening."
"The archivist translated the marginal note as quatorze and supplied “fourteen” in brackets."
Pluralized as quatorzes when referring to separate instances of the game or separate sets of cards.
"The club organized two quatorzes for the players' evening."
Quatorze is French for fourteen, but in English it has survived mainly at the card table, where a quatorze of cards carries on its own little tradition.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of quatorze
Quatorze entered English from French quatorze, which continues the Latin numeral quattuordecim. That Latin form combines quattuor, “four,” with decem, “ten,” literally expressing “four and ten.” The English word is therefore related to French quatre, Italian quattro, and the broader family of words derived from Latin quattuor.
Related word forms
How quatorze is actually used
The word is rare in ordinary modern English and is strongly associated with card games. In French, it is the standard everyday word for the number fourteen.
Easily confused with quatorze
A quatorze is a card game involving fourteen, whereas a quartet is a group or musical composition for four performers or players.