Meanings
plural backgammons
- 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
present singular third person backgammons · participle present backgammoning · participle past backgammoned · past backgammoned
- 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
- Old Englishgamen“amusement, game”
- Middle Englishgamen
- Englishbackgammon
Probably from back + Middle English gamen, from Old English gamen (“amusement, game”).
More words from Middle English, Old English
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
backgammon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backgammon
“backgammon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backgammon. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “backgammon,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backgammon.
Source: backgammon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.