billiards

(-yərdz)

noun

  1. a game played with three hard balls on a rectangular table covered with cloth, esp. baize, and having raised, cushioned edges: a long, tapering stick (called a cue) is used to hit and move the balls
  2. any of a number of similar games: pool is sometimes called

Origin: Fr billard, the game; orig., a stick, cue < OFr bille: see billet

See billiards in American Heritage Dictionary 4

plural noun (used with a sing. verb)
  1. A game played on a rectangular cloth-covered table with raised cushioned edges, in which a cue is used to hit three small, hard balls against one another or the side cushions of the table.
  2. One of several similar games, sometimes using a table with pockets, as in pool.

Origin:

Origin: French billard

Origin: , from bille, log; see billet2

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