fan-tan
[ fan-tan ]
/ ˈfænˌtæn /
noun
Also fan tan. Also called parliament, sevens. Cards.
a game in which the players play their sevens and other cards forming sequences in the same suits as their sevens, the winner being the player who first runs out of cards.
a Chinese gambling game in which a pile of coins, counters, or objects is placed under a bowl and bets are made on what the remainder will be after they have been counted off in fours.
Origin of fan-tan
First recorded in 1875–80,
fan-tan is from the Chinese word
fān tān literally, repeated divisions, or < cognate dial. forms
Words nearby fan-tan
fan tracery,
fan vault,
fan vaulting,
fan window,
fan worm,
fan-tan,
fana,
fana test,
fanagalo,
fanakalo,
fanatic
Example sentences from the Web for fan-tan
British Dictionary definitions for fan-tan
fan-tan
noun
a Chinese gambling game in which a random number of counters are placed under a bowl and wagers laid on how many will remain after they have been divided by four
a card game played in sequence, the winner being the first to use up all his or her cards
Word Origin for fan-tan
C19: from Chinese (Cantonese)
fan t'an repeated divisions, from
fan times +
t'an division