Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun 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.
  • noun An oval or oblong figure in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics that encloses characters expressing the names or epithets of royal or divine personages.
  • noun A heavy paper cartridge case.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A roll or case of paper holding a charge for a firearm; a cartridge.
  • noun A cartridge-box (which see).
  • noun A case of wood bound about with marline, containing several iron balls of a pound each and about 400 musket-balls, to be fired from a cannon or howitzer. Farrow, Mil. Encyc.
  • noun An oval or oblong figure on ancient Egyptian monuments and in papyri, containing groups of characters expressing the names or titles of royal personages and, rarely, of deities: a name given by Champollion.
  • noun A painted, engraved, or sculptured ornament of irregular or fantastic form, inclosing a plain central space used as a field for inscriptions, etc.
  • noun In heraldry, a name given in England to the oval escutcheon often seen in Italian heraldry, and generally considered to be peculiar to ecclesiastics.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun architecture An ornamental figure, often on an oval shield.
  • noun an oval figure containing characters that represent the names of royal or divine people.
  • noun A paper cartridge.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a cartridge (usually with paper casing)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Italian cartoccio, paper cornet, from carta, card, paper; see carton.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French cartouche, from Italian cartuccia, from carta, from Latin charta, from Ancient Greek χάρτης (khartēs).

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Examples

  • The wood of this cartouche is the same as that of the basilisks upon the arms, being very hard and close-grained, and of a tawny, yellow hue, like boxwood.

    Pharaohs, Fellahs and Explorers 1891

  • Her cartouche is sculptured in the space between her right arm and left knee, but the hieroglyphic characters have been erased, and it is no longer legible.

    Pharaohs, Fellahs and Explorers 1891

  • The insubordinate ringleader is dismissed with 'yellow furlough,' yellow infamous thing they call cartouche jaune: but ten new ringleaders rise in his stead, and the yellow cartouche ceases to be thought disgraceful.

    The French Revolution Thomas Carlyle 1838

  • A symbol called a cartouche is like a pharaoh's stamp with his or her name on it.

    Archive 2010-05-01 Lauri 2010

  • A symbol called a cartouche is like a pharaoh's stamp with his or her name on it.

    A trip to Luxor Lauri 2010

  • To the captives, the cartouche was a message of hope, as a sign that they were not outside the sphere of Egypt.

    A Desert Drama Being The Tragedy Of The "Korosko" Arthur Conan Doyle 1894

  • For the hieroglyphics, why not include a "cartouche" I don't know the English translation with Nefertari's name?

    Covers, Egyptian Style Julianne Douglas 2008

  • Moslems: in one of the Mameluke Soldans 'sepulchres near Cairo I found a granite slab bearing the "cartouche" (shield) of Khufu

    Arabian nights. English Anonymous 1855

  • There were a ton of cool things in Dr. El-Baz's office, including a photomural of the space shuttle behind his desk and a cartouche with his name written out in hieroglyphics.

    Zoe P. Strassfield: The Best First Day of School Ever! Zoe P. Strassfield 2011

  • There were a ton of cool things in Dr. El-Baz's office, including a photomural of the space shuttle behind his desk and a cartouche with his name written out in hieroglyphics.

    Zoe P. Strassfield: The Best First Day of School Ever! Zoe P. Strassfield 2011

Comments

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  • Elongated 2D oval shape or outline inside which words are written

    _______

    (______)

    December 19, 2006

  • drawing of magic rope for the purpose of preserving memory.

    April 22, 2009