What does tarot mean?
Tarot is the name for a traditional deck of 78 cards and, by extension, for the practice of consulting and interpreting them. Although many people encounter tarot through fortune-telling, the cards are also used for reflection, creativity, and decision-making. In ordinary use, a tarot generally means the complete deck or the tradition as a whole; an individual image is called a tarot card. The term also carries occult and mystical associations, even though such cards were originally European playing cards before becoming associated with divination. A tarot reading describes an interpretation of cards laid out for a question or situation. In modern spiritual and psychological contexts, tarot may be used nonliterally as a prompt for insight rather than as a prediction of events. The plural tarots exists but is uncommon; specifying tarot cards or a tarot deck is generally clearer.
nounA traditional deck of 78 cards used chiefly for divination, fortune-telling, or self-reflection; by extension, the practice of consulting and interpreting such cards.
- A traditional deck of 78 cards used chiefly for divination or fortune-telling.
- The broader practice or tradition of consulting and interpreting tarot cards.
"Her friend read the tarot to help her think through a difficult decision."
"She drew three cards from the tarot and considered what they might mean."
"The novel uses tarot symbolism to explore questions of fate and identity."
The plural is uncommon; tarocchi is also recorded as a plural form. For individual cards, tarot cards is the usual expression.
"The collection includes several antique tarots."
The famous fortune-telling deck began life as a European card game; its mystical reputation came later.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tarot come from?
The English word appeared in early 17th-century usage, borrowed from French tarot. French in turn received it from Italian tarocchi, the plural of tarocco; related Italian forms include the obsolete tarocca. The ultimate origin of the Italian term tarocco is uncertain, so its earlier linguistic ancestry cannot be stated with confidence.
Related word forms
How tarot is actually used
The noun may denote either a complete deck or, metonymically, the divination tradition itself. Individual cards are usually called tarot cards; the word has no common verb or adjective use.