spade 1 (sp d)n. 1. A sturdy digging tool having a thick handle and a heavy, flat blade that can be pressed into the ground with the foot. 2. Any of various similar digging or cutting tools. tr.v. spad·ed, spad·ing, spades To dig or cut with a spade. [Middle English, from Old English spadu.] spad  er n. |
| spade 2 (spd) n. Idiom: 1. Games a. A black, leaf-shaped figure on certain playing cards. b. A playing card with this figure. c. also spades (used with a sing. or pl. verb) The suit of cards represented by this figure. 2. Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a Black person. in spades To a considerable degree: They had financial trouble in spades. [Italian spade, pl. of spada, card suit, from Latin spatha, sword, broad-bladed stirrer, from Greek spath  , broad blade.] |
spades - As a suit in a deck of cards, it has nothing to do with spades as tools, but comes from Spanish espada, "sword."
See also related terms for sword.
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