mah-jongg
or mah-jong
[ mah-jawng, -jong, -zhawng, -zhong ]
/ ˈmɑˈdʒɔŋ, -ˈdʒɒŋ, -ˈʒɔŋ, -ˈʒɒŋ /
noun
a game of Chinese origin usually played by four persons with 144 dominolike pieces or tiles marked in suits, counters, and dice, the object being to build a winning combination of pieces.
verb (used without object)
to win a game of mah-jongg.
Origin of mah-jongg
1920–25; < dialectal Chinese; compare Guangdong dial.
màh-jéuk, Chinese
máquè literally, sparrow (depicted on the first tile of a set), equivalent to
má hemp +
què bird
Words nearby mah-jongg
maguey,
magus,
magyar,
magyarország,
mah jong,
mah-jongg,
maha yuga,
mahabalipuram,
mahabharata,
mahadeva,
mahajanga
British Dictionary definitions for mah jong
mah jong
mah-jongg
/ (ˌmɑːˈdʒɒŋ) /
noun
a game of Chinese origin, usually played by four people, in which tiles bearing various designs are drawn and discarded until one player has an entire hand of winning combinations
Word Origin for mah jong
from Chinese, literally: sparrows