Tarot de Marseille Dictionary

The below definitions are from Randle Cotgrave’s 1611 A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues.

One is highly encouraged to browse this dictionary, as the Tarot de Marseille is rich with word play. The frequency of phrases relating to ships and horsemanship, will no doubt remind some of their prominence in Platonic texts.

In addition to definitions, the text also contains numerous contemporaneous French proverbs. We know that the ‘Valet de Deniers’ is missing a cartouche, but this text will help you understand why.

For those that are interested in researching further and can read French, The ARTFL Project at The University of Chicago maintains a searchable website of ‘Dictionnaires d’autrefois’ from the 17th-20th centuries.

Ame

f. the soule, or spirit; also a spirit, or ghost; also, the mould hat is within the bore of artillerie when its cast.

Amoureau

m. A little love; also, the little god of love.

Amoureux

m. A lover, one that is in love; a wooer.

m. euse: f. Amorous, in love, affecting, affectionate, full of love.

Amoureux de Quaresme

A lenten lover a bashfull, modest, or maidenly woer.

Amoureux de trinqueniques

A paltry lover, a fond woer, a trifling paramour

Muscles amoureus

Two museles (a great one, and a lesse) belonging to the eye, the which they ture round.

Basteler

To iugle, or tumble; also, to play the buffoone, or foole; to talke verie much, and verie idly; also, o tosse, or wander uncertainely up and done.

Basteleur

A iugler, tumbler, puppet-player, ; one that professeth any of those arts; also, one that leades bears, apes, baboones, or dauncing dogges about the countrey, and gets a scuruie living by them.

Basteliere

f. as Batelier.

Baston

m. A staffe, bat, cudgell, trunchion; club; also, a sword, and (more generally) any weapon of offence; also, a battone, in blazon; also, a flay, prop, supporter.

Baston d’Adam

Adams weapon; a mans yard.

Baston cornu

A battle-axe.

Baston à deux bouts

A quarter staffe; or, a staffe which hath a pike at both ends.

Baston à feu

A Harquebuse, Caleever, musket, &c.

Baston pastoral

Water plantaine; or as Verge à berger.

Baston de potence

Looke Potence.

Baston rompu; à bastons rompus

A cutting, pin-king, lacing, &c, crosse billet fashion.

Baston royal

A kingly scepter.

A dague & baston

Large measure, heaped measure, measure with advantage.

Le tiers coup de baston

The third (and last) knock of the cryers staffe in an Ourtrope; and hence (metaphorically) that action, or effect, which absolutely carries a matter.

Par rain, & baston

By a bough and a bat a fashion of Liverie and Sisin ofed in some places.)

Eftourdi de baston

Looke Eftourdi.

Entende le ru du baston

To be a cnning Fencer, old beaten souldior, or much experience in the world.

Faire mordre au baston

To make the more eager; or make to bite at the offered bait.

Mettre la main au baston

To dispossesse himselfe of an inheritance, by the deliverie of a little rod or sticke to him unto whom he passes it.

Saulter la baston

To do the deed; or, to performe, with resolution, an inevitable eploit.

Sçauoir bien le tour du baston

To be subtile, craftie, cunning, of great experience; to know well how things are to be carried, or, how the world goes.

Tirer au baston

To struggle, wrastle, tug, strive, contend; also, to fight, or lay about him

Baston porte paix quant & foy

Prov. A good bat makes peace where it comes; the like is: Comme un faquin porte faix, ainsi le baston la paix.

Autant vaut aller à pied, que de cheuaucher un baston maigre

Prov. As good go a foot as ride on a leane iade.

Qui de mastin fait son compere plus da baston ne doir porter

Prov. He that makes a mastike his gossip need not carrie a cudgell about him.

Tel porte le baston dont à son regret le bat on

Many a one provides a rod for his owne taile, or wears a bat where with himself is beaten.

Bastonnade

f. A bastonadoe; a banging, or beating with a cudgell.

Bastonnadé

m. ée: f. Banged, bethwacked with a cudgell.

Bastonné

as Bastonnadé; cudgelled

Bastonneau

A little stafe, trunchion, cudgell, bat; a sticke, or great rod, or want.

Bastonnée

f. The stroake of a pumpe in a ship.

Bastonnet

as Bastonneau; ALso, the bastonet of a bridle.

Bateler

m. A little boat, or skiffe.

Bateleur

as Basteleur

Batelier

m. A boatman, shipman, skipper.

Bateliere

f. A ferrie-woman, or boat-woman.

Cavale

f. A mare

Cavaler

To staulke, to dog, See Cavaller.

Cavalet

m. A long hollow sticke, through which they use, in som places, to blow the fire, in stead of bellowes.

Cavalier

m. A horseman, or man of armes; a cavaleere; also, a gallant; a noble, or worthie, fellow.

Cavalin

m. A little horse.

Cavalle

f. A mare.

Cavallé

m. ée: f. Ridden; travelled on; toyled; also staulked, or dogged.

Cavaller

To ride;also travell, toyle, use like, or a sa horse; also, to staulke, or dog.

Cavallerie

f. Horsmanship; also horsemen.

Cavaler de plances

The highest, or most-raised, part of garden-beds.

Cavallette

A kind of locust.

Cavallier

m. A high platforme in a fortresse, to plant great peeces on; also as Cavalier.

Cavallin

as Cavalin.

Cavalot

A certain coyne worth about iij.s. also, a nag, or little horse.

Caviller

To cavill, wrangle, reason crossely, speake overthwartly.

Chariot

m. A chariot, or waggon; also the seven starres, or Charlesmayne.

Chariot branslant

The waggon, coach, or caroache, that hangs by leathers; a hanging chariot.

Compagnon bien parlant vaut en chemin chariot branslant

Prov. Agrees with the Latine, Comes facundus in via pro vehiculo est. (A pleasant companion on the road is equal to a carriage.)

Qui n’a cheval ne chariot, il ne charge pas quand il veut

Prov. Hee often wants of his will, that wants wherewithall.

Chariotte

f. A small chariot, or toy that runs on wheeles, and teaches, or helps young childrento goe; also a kind of litter borne up by an axletree, and two wheeles; used theretofore by citizens wives, who were not able, or not allowd to keepe ordinarie Litters.

Coupau

m. A cuckold; also, a greene Goofe.

Coupe

f. A cut, or cutting; a gash; a slit, an incision; also, a cup, goblet, or mazer; also, the roofe of a house, made almost round; the cop of a house.

Coupe de balance

The scole of a Balance.

Coupe de bois

The cutting, feeling, or opping of wood; also the season that fittest to cut, or fell it in; also, the soyle whereon the wood to cut, or felled, grew.

Bois de coupe

Wood that between ten, and thirtie, yeares growth.

Tel boisà la coupe rouge

Such wood cuts red.

Coupé

m. ée: f. cut; cloven, slices; hacked, slashed, hewed; carved, graven, intailed; slit, daunced; pruned, loppd, felled, as a tree; mowed, as grasse.

Croix Coupé

A crosse-bumet; Blazon.

Denier

m. A pennie, deneere; a small copper coyne valued at the tenth part of an English pennie; also, a pennie-weight; or 4 graines, in weight; also, the price of a thing.

Deniers

(plural) Money, coyne, treasure; a summe, or stocke, of money.

To denie, disaffirme, insticiate, say-nay unto.

Dernier

m. ere: f. the last, blindmost; uttermost, fartheft,or furthermost; also, the late, or secondin ranke, or place.

Derriere

(Substantively; as le derriere de) The hinder part, backe part, or backeside of.

Courir sur le derriere

A horse to gallop all upon his hinder parts.

(An Adverbe of place;) behind, backward,onthe back-side, or backe-part of.

Au devant part derriere

The wrong way to the wood; round about next way, andin at further doore; Looke Devant.

Gaigner le devant par derriere

see Devant; or Gaigner.

Cheval qui porte derriere

A double gelding, a horse that will carrie double.

Diable

m. A divell, a Fiend, an evill Spirit.

Diev

m. God.

Empereur

m. An Emperour; also the Sword-fish.

Espée

f. A sword; Rapier; Tucke; a Glaive, Cuttelasse, Faucheon, Hanger; Blade; also a certaine round staffe, that lies between the upper boords of a vinepresse, and the mother, or substance of the grapes; (sometimes) also, valour; and, a valiant man; (c’est un’des meilleures espées de la France.)

Espée d’ armes

as Espée de Chvalier; or Estoc d’armes.

Espée blanche

Looke Blanc.

Espée de bleds

Corne sedge, corne flags, corne gladen.

Espée de Chevalier

A sharpe, and broad sword, of a reasonable length, and plaine-hilted, having but onely one crosse-barre.

Espée Espagnole

A Rapier, or Tucke.

Espée Hunisque

A king of Scimiter.

Espée de mer

The sword-fish.

Espée misericorde

Looke Misericorde.

Espée des moiffons

Corne sedge, corne gladen

Espéea rabatuë

A foile.

Espée Romaine

Certaine twined, and retorted haires on a horse; resembling, and by some caalled, a feather.

Pled de l’espée

High iurisdiction; authoritie to punish, or pursue, offendors with the sword.

Sergent de l’espée

Looke Sergent.

Hardi comme une espée

As bold, or hardie as a sword (which is oft more bold then welcome.)

Louër de l’espée à deux lambes

To shew a faire paire of heeles to runne away.

S’eniouër del’ espée à deux main

To doe what he list withall; See Iouër.

Estoille

f. A starre; a planet; also the hearb Sharewort, starre-wort-Cudwort.

Estoillé

m. The Lizard Stellio, whose necke is full of starre-like spots.

m. ée: f. Starrie, full of starres; poundered, or set thicke, with starres.

Estoillée

f. The hearbe Lyons foot, Ladies mantle, great sanicle.

Flaccide

com. Weake, flaggie, limber, flagging, hanging loose; faded, withered.

Force

f. Force, might, strength, power, abilitie, vigour, vehemencie; vertue, effect, operation, energie, efficacie, powerfull working; violence, constraint, compulsion, ravishment; (also, flore, plentie, aboundance, many of; whence Force ecfus; force arbres.)

Forcé

m. ée: f. Forced, compelled, constrayned; also, ravished, as a woman; also, burst open, broke through; also hard layed too; brought unto a narrow strait, bard pinch, ill passe.

Fortvne

f. Fortune; also, hap, chance, luck, lot, hazard, adventure; also destinie, fatall necessitie.

Fortuné

m. ée: f. Fortunate, happie, luckie; also, made fortunate with good hap.

Gentil

m. ile: f. Gentle, tame, tractable; mild; affable; courteous, gracious; kind, loving; pliant, soft, supple, tender; smooth; also comelie, sightlie; prettie, quaint, neat, fine; well-fashioned, well-behaved; goodlie, faire; gallant, noble, delightsome, pleasant; also Gentile, Pagan, Heathenish; (When Gallia was conquered by the Francs, or ancient French, the Gaules, who were at the time Christians, tearmed, the coquerors, by reason of their Heathenish Religions, Gentils, or Gentil-hommes.)

Gentilhomme

m. A Gentleman; also, a certain hollow engine (set thick on th’outside with pikes, and charged with powder and shot) which discharged, scatters it selfe, to the ruine of those it ligt son, Looke Gentil.

Hermite

m. An Hermit.

Imperatrice

(Not found in dictionary.)

Iugement

m. A iudgement, sentence, doome, decree; determination, order, award; the finall decision of a controversie; also advice, conceit, opinion; also, capacitie, discretion, understanding, insight into matters.

Justice

f. Iustice, law, rightnesse, uprightnesse, indifferencie, impartialitie; also, a paire of Gallowes, or place (or instrument) of execution; also, iurisdiction; (for which looke the next marginallword;) also, a Court of Iustice, or Iurisdiction.

f. Jurisdiction; power to administer iustice, authorize to execute lawes, or to keep a Court for either; Of three principall kinds, High, Meane or middle, & Base or low; (although the word Iustice simply, and by it self import unely the last,) also, the precinct, libertie, or territorie, wherein a Lord may exercise any of those kinds; also, the Court of such a Lord.

Liais

m. A verie hard free stone whereof staire-steps and tombe-stones be commonly made.

Liaison

f. A band; connexion,colligation; knot, obligation; fastening, tying, or closing hard together; also a locking, or bnding in wrastling.

Lier

To tye, bind, fasten, knit; halfter, fetter; soulder, unite, combine; oblige, or make beholden to.

On lie bien le fac avant qu’ il foit plein

Prov. A sacke before’t be full is easily bound up; there’s hope of compassing one that’s in want.

Il ne faut pas lier les Afnes avec les chevaux

Prov. We must not mingle bad and good together.

Lune

f. The Moone; one of the seven Planets; also silver (called so be Alchymists;) also, the Molebatfish.

Lune de mer

The Molebut; als a kind of ash-color red Starre-fish of a hard, and shellie substance.

Labonne Lune

The later end of September, and beginning of October; the best time sow winter-corne in, and therefore so tearmed by good husbands.

Abbayer contre la lune

seeke Abbayer.

Avoir un quartier de la lune en la teste

To bee halfe franticke, or have a spice of Lunacie; The like is;

Ily a de la lune

He is a foolish, humorous, hare-brained, giddie-headed fellow.

Coucher à l’enseigne de la lune

To lie without doores all night.

Garder la lune des loups

To wast indevors upon subjects that need them not; or spend time in watching of that which of it selfe is safeynough.

Dieu gard la lune des loups

An ironicall answer unto a bragging foole, that threatens to kil them whom he cannot hurt.

Le fourier de la lune a marqué le logis

Said of a woman that hath her flowers.

Prendre la lune aux dents

To doe impossible matters.

Tenir de la lune

To be onconstant, fickle, mutable, giddue, unsettled, wavering.

Les biens de fortune passent comme la lune

Prov. What fortune gives us for a boone, is quickly wasted like the Moone.

Luné

m. ée: f. Round, compasse, rounded, or bowed like a halfe-Moone.

Maison

f. a house, or mansion; also, a race, or familie.

Maison Dieu

An Hospitall, or Spittle, for the poore.

Mat

m. A foole, fop, gull; mad-pash, harebrained ninnie; also, a mate at chesse-play

Eschec & mat

Check-mate; also, an unavoydable disaster, a remedilesse mischiefe, or mischance.

Deaded, mated, amated, quelled, subdued, overcome; also, as Flaccide.

Or mat

Unpollished gold.

Monde

m. The world, univers; all visible things under the cope of heaven; also, a (world, or) great number of people, great store of companie.

Mondé

m. ée: f. Cleansed, made cleane; also, pruned; picked, pilled.

Pape

m. A Pope, the Pope; (a word which, however it be used, signifies a father;) also as Pappe.

Papesse

(Not found in dictionary.)

Papilloté

as Papllotté.

Papillotes

f. Spangles.

Papillotte

f. Thistle-downe, or the soft downe blowne from the tops of flowers by the wind; also, a spangle.

Papillotté

m. ée: f. Bespangled; wrought, set, beatified, or made garish with spangles; also, bespattled, bedashed, spotted, with durt, &c.

Pappe

m. Thistle-downe; as Papillotte; also, the short, soft, and hairie cotton, or downe which growes on the leaves, and staulkes of some hearbes.

Pendu

m. uë: f. Hanged; hanging.

Langue bien Penduë

A smooth, glib, eloquent, or well speaking tongue.

Procez pendu au croc

See Croc.

Relasche de pendu

A gracelesse crackrope, or, one for whom that gallowes grones.

Reine

f. A Queene; Looke Royne; also a Frog; also, the reine of a bridle.

Rouë

f. A wheele; also, the breaking of all the ioints on a wheele.

Roüé

m. ée: f. Broken, or executed, upon the Wheele; also wheeled, whurled, or swung about; also dapled as a horse.

Roy

m. A King; also, the chiefe, or head man in a companie.

Royne

f. A Queene.

Soleil

m. The Sunne; also Gold; called so by Alcimists.

Temperance

f. Temperance, moderation, sobrietie; the meane between the extremeties of appetite, and affection.

Toillé

as Touillée.

Touillé

m. ée: f. Filthily mingled, pestered, or shuffled together; also, durtied, besmeaed, berayed, smeeched, begrimed; whence;

Avoice touilée croift comme enragée

Prov. In mirie ground Oats grow as if they were mad.

Valet

m. (Quasi va-lez son maistre;) a groome, yeoman, or household servant of the meaner sort: In old time it was a more honorable title; for all young gentlemen, until they came to be eighteene yeres of age, were (as at this Batchelers in Britaine are) tearmed so; besides, those that waited in K. Chamber (and who were, for the most part, Gentlemen) had no other title then of Valets de chambre, untill that Francis the first, perceiving such as attended him to be no better than Roturiers, brought in, above them, another sort, and caused them to be titled, Gentilshommes de la chambre: presently after which the Title of Valet grew into disesteeme, and is, at the length, become opposite unto that of Gentilhomme; Look Varlet.

Valet de chambre

A chamberlaine; a groome of, or waiter in, the bed-chamber; Se Valet.

Varlet

m. A Groome, &c; as Valet; also a younker, stripling, youth; as in the Proverb;

Aurant le prise beau varlet que belle fille

Prov. The smirking youth as much himselfe esteemes, as doth the Nimph who beautie fairest seemes.