Monday, 7 August 2023

Is 'billiards' English, or is it actually French?

'Billiards' is a word borrowed from French 'billard'. The word entered the English language some time around 1580.


billiards [noun plural but singular in construction] [1580]
  • any of several games played on an oblong table by driving small balls against one another or into pockets with a cue
  • a game in which one scores by causing a cue ball to hit in succession two object balls
See 'billiards' on the Loan Words Map

See more loan words from French.

Etymology: Middle French 'billard' billiard cue, billiards, from 'bille' wooden stick, log
See more loan words from 1500s.


No comments:

Post a Comment