Definitions

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

  • noun A card game for three persons that is played with 32 cards, sevens through aces.
  • noun One of the combinations of cards occurring in this game.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun See scat.
  • noun The German national card-game for three players.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A three-handed card game played with 32 cards, of which two constitute the skat (sense 2), or widow. The players bid for the privilege of attempting any of several games or tasks, in most of which the player undertaking the game must take tricks counting in aggregate at least 61 (the counting cards being ace 11, ten 10, king 4, queen 3, jack 2). The four jacks are the best trumps, ranking club, spade, heart, diamond, and ten outranks king or queen (but when the player undertakes to lose all the tricks, the cards rank as in whist). The value of hands depends upon the game played, trump suit, points taken, and number of matadores.
  • noun (Skat) A widow of two cards.

Etymologies

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

[German, from Italian scarto, a discarded card, from scartare, to reject : s-, out; see sfumato + carta, card (from Latin charta, paper made of papyrus; see card).]

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