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domino
domino any of 28 small oblong pieces marked with 0–6 pips in each half, used to play the game of dominoes, in which each piece is laid down to form a line, each player in turn trying to find and lay down a piece with a value matched by that of a piece at either end of the line already formed. This meaning dates from the early 19th century; in an earlier sense, the word meant a loose cloak, worn with a mask for the upper part of the face at masquerades. It is originally recorded in the late 17th century, from French, denoting a hood worn by priests in winter, and is probably ultimately based on Latin dominus ‘lord, master’.
domino theory the theory that a political event in one country will cause similar events in neighbouring countries, like a falling domino causing an entire row of upended dominoes to fall (the domino effect). The term derives from a speech by President Eisenhower in 1954 on the possibility of the spread of communist rule. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "domino." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "domino." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-domino.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "domino." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-domino.html |
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dominoes
dominoes game played with a set of rectangular pieces (usually 28 in number) called dominoes. Each piece (made of wood, bone, ivory, plastic, or other material) has one blank face and one face marked with pips, or dots. The marked faces are divided into halves, each half containing (in a 28-piece set) from 0 to 6 pips in every possible combination—0–0, 1–1, 1–0, and so on. The most common version of dominoes is the draw game wherein two to four players pick a specified number of face-down dominoes. The object of the game is to match the number on one domino half to that of the half already played on the table. The first to dispose of all his or her dominoes wins. The game has been traced as far back as 18th cent. Italy where it enjoyed great popularity among the idle courtiers of Venice. |
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"dominoes." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "dominoes." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-dominoes.html "dominoes." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-dominoes.html |
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domino
dom·i·no
/ ˈdäməˌnō/
•
n.
(pl. -noes or -nos)
1.
any of 28 small oblong pieces marked with 0–6 dots (pips) in each half.
∎ (dominoes) [treated as sing.]
the game played with such pieces, in which they are laid down to form a line, each player in turn trying to find and lay down a domino with a value matched by that of a piece at either end of the line already formed.
2.
hist.
a loose cloak, worn with a mask for the upper part of the face at masquerades.
dominoes |
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Cite this article
"domino." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "domino." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-domino005.html "domino." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-domino005.html |
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domino
domino
A. cloak with a half-mask worn at masquerades, person wearing this XVIII; the mask itself XIX; B. rectangular piece used in the game (dominoes) having the under side black and the upper blank or marked with pips XIX. — F. domino, presumably a deriv. of L. dominus (see DOM). |
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T. F. HOAD. "domino." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "domino." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-domino.html T. F. HOAD. "domino." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-domino.html |
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