pinochle
pronunciation
How to pronounce pinochle in British English:
UK ['pi:nʌkl]
How to pronounce pinochle in American English:
US ['piˌnʌkəl]
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- Noun:
- a card game played with a 48-card pack (two of each suit for high cards); play resembles whist
Word Origin
- pinochle (n.)
- also pinocle, 1864, Peaknuckle, of uncertain origin, perhaps from Swiss dialect Binokel (German), binocle (French), from French binocle "pince-nez" (17c.), from Medieval Latin binoculus "binoculars" (see binocular). Taken as a synonym for bésigue "bezique," the card game, and wrongly identified with besicles "spectacles," probably because the game is played with a double deck. Pinochle was popularized in U.S. late 1800s by German immigrants.