nine men's morris

noun

An ancient strategic board game for two players, each having nine pieces, and in which forming a row of three of one's own pieces earns the removal of one of the other player's pieces.

OriginLatin merellus →
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Meanings

nounnine men's morris (uncountable)
  1. uncountableAn ancient strategic board game for two players, each having nine pieces, and in which forming a row of three of one's own pieces earns the removal of one of the other player's pieces.

    The nine mens Morris is fild vp with mud, / And the queint Mazes in the wanton greene,

    c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 149

Origin

  1. Latinmerellus“gamepiece (incl. in draughts), token, etc.”
  2. Englishnine men's morris

Popularly claimed to ultimately be from Latin merellus (“gamepiece (incl. in draughts), token, etc.”); a possible connection has also been linked to French marelle (“hopscotch”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Basque errota-joko
  • errota-jokoboard game
Catalan marro de nou
  • marro de nouboard game
Finnish mylly
  • myllyboard game
French jeu du moulin
  • jeu du moulinboard game
German Mühle
  • Mühleboard game
Hungarian malom
  • malomboard game
Icelandic mylla
  • myllaboard game
Italian filetto, mulino
  • filettoboard game
  • mulinoboard game
Norwegian Bokmål mølle
  • mølleboard game
Polish młynek
  • młynekboard game
Romanian țintar, moară
  • țintarboard game
  • moarăboard game
Spanish molino, juego del molino
  • molinoboard game
  • juego del molinoboard game
Swedish kvarn, kvarnspel
  • kvarnboard game
  • kvarnspelboard game
Turkish dokuztaş
  • dokuztaşboard game
Cite this entry
APA

nine men's morris. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nine%20men's%20morris

MLA

“nine men's morris.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nine%20men's%20morris. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nine men's morris,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nine%20men's%20morris.

Source: nine men's morris on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.