To discard or throw away; to reject or abandon something.
From 'dis-' (intensive prefix) + 'card' (from French 'carte,' meaning a card or piece). Originally used in card games meaning to throw down or reject a card.
This is Middle English slang from the 1400s—'disard' was what you did in card games when you threw away unwanted cards! It evolved into the modern word 'discard,' and the original 'disard' form disappeared, showing how language constantly revises and streamlines old words.
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