Trump in Cards Comes From Triumph
A trump is a card of the suit that outranks all others. The word is a worn-down form of triumph.
A trump is a playing card of the suit chosen to outrank all others, and to trump is to beat or override. The word is a worn-down *triumph*: an early English card game was called *triumph*, and the name of the game became the name of the winning suit before shortening to *trump*. Italian *trionfi* named the tarot trumps the same way. A separate old word *trump* means a trumpet, which is why *the last trump* in the Bible is a trumpet blast, not a card.
- A ranking card suit. *Hearts are trumps.*
- To outrank. *Safety trumps speed.*
- A trumpet (archaic). *The last trump.*
- Triumph — the source. *Triumph.*
- Trump card — a decisive advantage. *A trump card.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | trump | A trump. |
| Plural | trumps | Trumps. |
| Verb | trump | Trump it. |
| Compound | trump card | A trump card. |
| Related | triumph | Triumph. |
- Spades are trumps this hand.Cards.
- Experience trumps enthusiasm.Figurative.
- The last trump is a trumpet.Other word.
Two unrelated trumps
- Trump (cards) — a worn-down form of triumph
- Trump (trumpet) — from Old French *trompe*
- The last trump — the trumpet of Judgment Day
- Trumped up — fabricated, from the card sense
- Trumpery — worthless finery, from the trumpet word
An alteration of *triumph*, the name of an early card game. The trumpet sense is from Old French *trompe*.
Why is a winning suit called a trump?
From triumph, the name of an early card game. The game's name became the name of the ranking suit and then shortened.
What is the last trump?
A trumpet blast in biblical prophecy, from an entirely separate word meaning trumpet.