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Spades (suit)




Spades is one of the four Suit s found in Playing Cards . In Bridge , it ranks highest out of the four suits ( Clubs , Diamonds , Hearts , and Spades). It is typically associated with Death .


Origin and meaning of the symbol

The symbol was first used on French Playing Cards , made in Rouen and Lyon in the 15th Century (at a time that playing cards are mass-produced by the use of Woodcuts ). It is possible that the meaning was to represent a Leaf (a symbol used on older German playing cards) - but it was, however, very early associated with the point of a Pike (French ''pique'').

In the Germanic countries was the symbol associated with the blade of a Spade - and in all Germanic languages is the name of the tool and the suit identical. (In German and Dutch is the suit also, alternately, named ''Schüppen'' and ''schoppen'' ' Shovel '.)

It is often stated that the suit is named after Spanish ''espada'' ' Sword ', but this is probably not likely. In Germany and Scandinavia, Spanish playing cards were not in use, and Spanish loanwords in these languages were very rare at all. (It should also be noted that the Spanish name for the French suit is ''picas'' - not ''espadas''.)

German suits: Leaves () .


Сodes of symbol

Unicode — U+2660 and U+2664:
: ♠ ♤

HTML — ''♠'' and ''♠'':
:


EXAMPLE CARDS