casino

[kuh-see-noh] /kəˈsi noʊ/
noun, plural casinos for 1.
1.
a building or large room used for meetings, entertainment, dancing, etc., especially such a place equipped with gambling devices, gambling tables, etc.
2.
(in Italy) a small country house or lodge.
3.
Also, cassino. Cards. a game in which cards that are face up on the table are taken with eligible cards in the hand.
Origin
1780-90; < Italian, equivalent to cas(a) house + -ino diminutive suffix
Related forms
subcasino, noun, plural subcasinos.
Examples from the web for casino
  • Scientists set up an avian casino in which pigeons could place their bets on one of two symbols.
  • And you don't even have to leave the casino property to find some great free shows.
  • Combination beach resort, golf course, and future casino on historic island.
  • Hendricks drives up to an out-of-use casino that houses some of the tribal government's offices.
  • casino surveillance cameras eventually revealed his laundering technique.
  • Many patriarchs built their fortunes with risky bets: movies, the first casino, manufacturing.
  • We believe this casino mentality has corrupted the stock markets and exchanges.
  • Guests receive complimentary breakfast and casino vouchers.
  • The world's biggest casino company canceled its initial public offering last year, citing market conditions.
  • The patter of casino dealers is broadcast onto the streets to lure gamblers up doubtful flights of stairs.
British Dictionary definitions for casino

casino

/kəˈsiːnəʊ/
noun (pl) -nos
1.
a public building or room in which gaming takes place, esp roulette and card games such as baccarat and chemin de fer
2.
a variant spelling of cassino
Word Origin
C18: from Italian, diminutive of casa house, from Latin

cassino

/kəˈsiːnəʊ/
noun
1.
a card game for two to four players in which players pair cards from their hands with others exposed on the table
Word Origin and History for casino
n.

1744, "public room for music or dancing," from Italian casino, literally "a little house," diminutive of casa "house," from Latin casa "hut, cottage, cabin," of uncertain origin. The card game (also cassino) is attested by that name from 1792. Specifically as "building for aristocratic gambling" by 1820, first in an Italian context.

[T]he term Casino [is] indiscriminately applied to a set of farm offices, a country-seat, a gambling house, and a game of cards ... [Jane Waldie Watts, "Sketches Descriptive of Italy in the Years 1816 and 1817," London 1820]