cartouche

or car·touch

[ kahr-toosh ]
/ kɑrˈtuʃ /

noun

Architecture. a rounded, convex surface, usually surrounded with carved ornamental scrollwork, for receiving a painted or low-relief decoration, as an escutcheon.
an oval or oblong figure, as on ancient Egyptian monuments, enclosing characters that represent the name of a sovereign.
the case containing the inflammable materials in certain fireworks.
a box for cartridges.

Origin of cartouche

1605–15; < Middle French < Italian cartoccio, equivalent to cart(a) paper (see carte) + -occio augmentative suffix

Example sentences from the Web for cartouche

British Dictionary definitions for cartouche

cartouche

cartouch

/ (kɑːˈtuːʃ) /

noun

a carved or cast ornamental tablet or panel in the form of a scroll, sometimes having an inscription
an oblong figure enclosing characters expressing royal or divine names in Egyptian hieroglyphics
the paper case holding combustible materials in certain fireworks
rare a cartridge or a box for cartridges

Word Origin for cartouche

C17: from French: scroll, cartridge, from Italian cartoccio, from carta paper; see card 1