the word 'tarot' entered english from french in the late 16th century. the french term derived from the italian 'tarocchi', whose origin is uncertain but is not believed to be from latin or greek. one prominent theory suggests it may come from the arabic 'ṭarḥ', meaning 'that which is rejected' or 'discard', possibly referring to a rule in a card game. another theory links it to the taro river in northern italy. the cards themselves originated in 15th-century italy as playing cards, with their use for divination developing later, primarily from the 18th century onward.

the word 'tarot' is a simplex loanword from french. it does not contain separable morphemes within its modern english spelling.