baccarat

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/ˈbækəɹɑː//ˈbɑːkəɹɑː//bɑːkəˈɹɑː/colloquial, proscribed/ˈbækəɹæt/

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.

CommonScrabble 14

Meanings

nounbaccarat (usually uncountable, plural baccarats)

plural baccarats · alternative baccara

  1. uncountableusuallycard gamesA 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.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna 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

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Provençalbaccara
  2. LatinBacchi
  3. Vulgar Latin*Bacchara
  4. Frenchbaccarat
  5. Englishbaccarat

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.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan bacarà
  • bacaràcard game
Chinese Cantonese 百家樂 /百家乐
  • 百家樂 /百家乐 (baak³ gaa¹ lok⁶)card game
Chinese Mandarin 百家樂 /百家乐
  • 百家樂 /百家乐 (bǎijiālè)card game
Danish baccarat
  • baccaratcard game
Dutch baccarat
  • baccaratcard game
Estonian baccarat
  • baccaratcard game
Finnish baccarat
  • baccaratcard game
French baccara
  • baccaracard game
German Baccara
  • Baccaracard game
Greek μπακαράς
  • μπακαράς (bakarás)card game
Indonesian bakarat
  • bakaratcard game
Italian baccarà
  • baccaràcard game
Japanese バカラ
  • バカラ (bakara)card game
Korean 바카라
  • 바카라 (bakara)card game
Polish bakarat
  • bakaratcard game
Portuguese bacará
  • bacarácard game
Russian баккара́
  • баккара́ (bakkará)card game
Spanish bacará, bacarrá
  • bacarácard game
  • bacarrácard game
Ukrainian баккара́
  • баккара́ (bakkará)card game
Cite this entry
APA

baccarat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/baccarat

MLA

“baccarat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/baccarat. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “baccarat,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/baccarat.

Source: baccarat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.