Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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noun
A card game resembling chemin de fer with many forms, usually entailing the player(s) betting against two or three hands dealt, and also bearing some similarities to blackjack.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Topics: card-games, games
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
a card game played in casinos in which two or more punters gamble against the banker; the player wins who holds 2 or 3 cards that total closest to nine
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: chemin de fer
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: card game, cards
History
First attested in the 19th century. Borrowed from French baccarat, baccara, likely named after the French town Baccarat (noted for glassmaking) in Grand Est, of ultimately unclear and debated origin (first attested in 1291. (uncertain)). If by some Vulgar Latin *Bacchara, the town is possibly named from Latin Bacchi ara ("altar of Bacchus"; the original pagan reference of the name was forgotten), name of an ancient Roman castellum, of which there remains a relic called the "Tower of Bacha" on the heights of Deneuvre, from whence Baccarat is an ancient suburb. Other hypotheses have also been suggested, including descent from Celtic. Probably linked to Provençal baccara, although if the town etymology is correct, this may present some geographic difficulty.
Across languages
21 source translations are retained for this English entry.
