The card game Solitaire likely originated from cartomancy or tarot as an early form of fortune telling due to how cards are laid out in both practices. This is also supported by the use of the alternative term "cabale", which originated from the Medieval Latin "caballa", meaning secret knowledge.

The early origins of Solitaire date back to Germany in the 1780s. We know the game developed in popularity in Germany, France, and later the rest of Europe around that time. During that time the game was called Patience, given that you need patience to win a game. Even to this day, Patience is still used to describe the game, especially in Europe.

Classic solitaire (also known as Klondike Solitaire) is the game that many simply refer to as "solitaire". Klondike is by far the most popular version of Solitaire, though there are many variations. If you did not realize there is more than one type of solitaire game, the game you know as Solitaire is likely to be Klondike.

The game is called “spider” solitaire due to the relationship between spiders having eights legs, and the eight foundation piles that need to be completed in order to win the game. While the current version originates from 1949, the first mention of Spider comes Games Digest published in 1937.