In
the old days, when you went to some unknown place, you produced a map
of the area. Usually, you called it “map,” and not “chart,” although
both words are synonyms. But until today you talk of the “uncharted
waters” or the “uncharted country.”
Chart was
derived from Middle French
charte
(“map, card”), whose origin is actually Late Latin (
charta
“paper, card, map”). Late Latin
charta
(“leaf of paper, tablet”) was also the origin for Middle French
carte
and English
card.
Both words in English have their similar terms in Armenian. The word քարտէս (kardes), with the alternative spelling քարտէզ (kardez
)—although the first form is more usual—came from the Greek
khartes
(“layer
of papyrus, writing, letter, decree”), which was the actual source for
the Latin term. It is supposed that, because of the papyrus connection,
khartes
actually originated in the Egyptian language.
The same word
kardez
was
used in medieval times with the meaning of “letter,” as its Greek
source. Interestingly, it also developed an original meaning during the
Armenian kingdom of Cilicia: “money.” It was the name for certain bronze
coins.
The suffix
–es
or
–ez
was dropped in the Armenian word քարտ (kard), which is used today either alone, with the meanings of “play card” or “visiting card,” or in the compound words
այցեքարտ
(aytsekard) and
խաղաքարտ
(khaghakard), with the same meanings. Of course, it is also used in other words, like the now almost defunct “card catalogue” (քարտարան/kardaran
).
Incidentally, the word
kard
with the meaning “play card” may be replaced by the synonym
թուղթ (tught) or
խաղաթուղթ
(khaghatooght), while we may also use
տոմս
(doms)
or
այցետոմս
(aytsedoms)
to say “visiting card.”
