backgammon

B3A1C3K5G2A1M3M3O1N1
/ˈbæk.ɡæm.ən/

noun

A board game for two players in which each has 15 stones which move between 24 triangular points according to the roll of a pair of dice; the object is to move all of one's pieces around, and bear them off the board.

Less commonScrabble 23

Meanings

nounbackgammon (countable and uncountable, plural backgammons)

plural backgammons

  1. countableuncountableA board game for two players in which each has 15 stones which move between 24 triangular points according to the roll of a pair of dice; the object is to move all of one's pieces around, and bear them off the board.

    "I have borrowed Mrs. Palmer's backgammon-board," said Isabella, whose notion of an elderly gentleman's amusements of an evening was derived from what she had seen Mr. Palmer do.

    1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter VII, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 90
  2. countableuncountablebackgammonA victory in the game when the loser has not borne off a stone, and still has one or more stones in the winner's inner home row or on the bar.
verbbackgammon (third-person singular simple present backgammons, present participle backgammoning, simple past and past participle backgammoned)

present singular third person backgammons · participle present backgammoning · participle past backgammoned · past backgammoned

  1. To win at a backgammon game with the opponent having one or more pieces in the winner’s inner home row or on the bar.

Origin

  1. Old Englishgamen“amusement, game”
  2. Middle Englishgamen
  3. Englishbackgammon

Probably from back + Middle English gamen, from Old English gamen (“amusement, game”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic طَاوِلَة, نَرْد
  • طَاوِلَة (ṭāwila)board game
  • نَرْد (nard)board game
  • لُعْبَةُ طَاوِلَة (luʕbatu ṭāwila)board game
  • طَاوِلَةُ زَهْر (ṭāwilatu zahr)board game
Bulgarian та́бла
  • та́бла (tábla)board game
Catalan backgammon
  • backgammonboard game
Chinese Mandarin 雙陸棋 /双陆棋
  • 雙陸棋 /双陆棋 (shuānglùqí)board game
Czech vrhcáby
  • vrhcábyboard game
Danish backgammon
  • backgammonboard game
Dutch backgammon
  • backgammonboard game
Estonian triktrak
  • triktrakboard game
Finnish backgammon
  • backgammonboard game
French backgammon
  • backgammonboard game
German Backgammon
  • Backgammonboard game
Greek τάβλι
  • τάβλι (távli)board game
Hebrew שֵׁשׁ בֵּשׁ
  • שֵׁשׁ בֵּשׁ (shesh besh)board game
Hindi बैकगैमौन, नर्द
  • बैकगैमौन (baikgaimaun)board game
  • नर्द (nard)board game
Hungarian ostábla
  • ostáblaboard game
Icelandic kotra
  • kotraboard game
Irish táiplis mhór
  • táiplis mhórboard game
Italian tavola reale, backgammon
  • tavola realeboard game
  • backgammonboard game
  • tric tracboard game
  • tricche traccheboard game
  • sbaraglinoboard game
  • sbaraglioboard game
Japanese バックギャモン
  • バックギャモン (bakkugyamon)board game
Korean 백개먼
  • 백개먼 (baekgaemeon)board game
Latin nerdiludium
  • nerdiludiumboard game
Latvian nardi
  • nardiboard game
Lithuanian nardai
  • nardaiboard game
Malay backgammon
  • backgammonboard game
Norwegian Bokmål backgammon
  • backgammonboard game
Polish tryktrak, nardy
  • tryktrakboard game
  • nardyboard game
Portuguese gamão
  • gamãoboard game
Punjabi ਬੈਕਗੈਮਨ
  • ਬੈਕਗੈਮਨ (baikgaiman)board game
Romanian table
  • tableboard game
Russian на́рды, триктра́к
  • на́рды (nárdy)board game
  • триктра́к (triktrák)board game
Scottish Gaelic tàileasg
  • tàileasgboard game
Slovak backgammon
  • backgammonboard game
Spanish backgammon
  • backgammonboard game
Swedish backgammon
  • backgammonboard game
Tagalog bakgamon
  • bakgamonboard game
Thai แบ็กแกมมอน
  • แบ็กแกมมอนboard game
Turkish tavla, nert
  • tavlaboard game
  • nertboard game
Ukrainian на́рди
  • на́рди (nárdy)board game
Urdu نَرْد, تَخْتَۂ نَرْد
  • نَرْد (nard)board game
  • تَخْتَۂ نَرْد (taxta-yi nard)board game
Cite this entry
APA

backgammon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backgammon

MLA

“backgammon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backgammon. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “backgammon,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backgammon.

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