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cartouche

 - 6 dictionary results

car⋅touche

[kahr-toosh]
–noun
1. Architecture. a rounded, convex surface, usually surrounded with carved ornamental scrollwork, for receiving a painted or low-relief decoration, as an escutcheon.
2. an oval or oblong figure, as on ancient Egyptian monuments, enclosing characters that represent the name of a sovereign.
3. the case containing the inflammable materials in certain fireworks.
4. cartridge (def. 1).
5. a box for cartridges.
Also, car⋅touch.


Origin:
1605–15; < MF < It cartoccio, equiv. to cart(a) paper (see carte2 ) + -occio aug. suffix

car⋅tridge

[kahr-trij]
–noun
1. Also called cartouche. a cylindrical case of pasteboard, metal, or the like, for holding a complete charge of powder, and often also the bullet or the shot for a rifle, machine gun, or other small arm.
2. a case containing any explosive charge, as for blasting.
3. any small container for powder, liquid, or gas, made for ready insertion into some device or mechanism: an ink cartridge for a pen.
4. Also called magazine. Photography. a lightproof metal or plastic container for a roll of film, usually containing both the supply and take-up spools, as well as a pressure plate, for rapid loading without the necessity of threading the film.
5. Audio. pickup (def. 8).
6. a flat, compact container enclosing an endless loop of audiotape, operated by inserting into a slot in a player.

Origin:
1570–80; earlier cartage, cartrage, alter. of cartouche
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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car·touche or car·touch   (kär-tōōsh')   
n.  
  1. A structure or figure, often in the shape of an oval shield or oblong scroll, used as an architectural or graphic ornament or to bear a design or inscription.

  2. An oval or oblong figure in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics that encloses characters expressing the names or epithets of royal or divine personages.

  3. A heavy paper cartridge case.


[French, from Italian cartoccio, paper cornet, from carta, card, paper; see carton.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

cartouche 
1611, Fr. form of cartridge (q.v.). Application to Egyptian hieroglyphics dates from 1830, on resemblance to rolled paper cartridges.

cartridge 
1579, corruption of Fr. cartouche "a full charge for a pistol," from It. cartoccio "roll of paper," an augmentive form of M.L. carta "paper" (see card (n.)). The notion is of a roll of paper containing a charge for a firearm.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

cartouche

in architecture, ornamentation in scroll form, applied especially to elaborate frames around tablets or coats of arms; by extension, the word is applied to any oval shape or even to a decorative shield, whether scrolled or not. The term is also used for an oval frame enclosing the hieroglyphs of the name of an Egyptian sovereign, as well as for the amulet of similar design worn in ancient Egypt as a protection against the loss of one's name (i.e., one's identity)

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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