canasta

[ kuh-nas-tuh ]

noun

, Cards.

1. a variety of rummy in which the main object is to meld sets of seven or more cards.

canasta

/ kəˈnæstə /

noun

1. a card game for two to six players who seek to amass points by declaring sets of cards
2. Also calledmeld a declared set in this game, containing seven or more like cards, worth 500 points if the canasta is pure or 300 if wild (containing up to three jokers)

Word History and Origins

Origin of canasta¹

1945–50; < Spanish: literally, basket, apparently variant of canastro < Greek kánastron wicker basket ( canister )

Word History and Origins

Origin of canasta¹

C20: from Spanish: basket (because two packs, or a basketful, of cards are required), variant of canastro, from Latin canistrum; see canister

Example Sentences

They shared home-cooked meals, bottles of tequila and spirited games of canasta in their homes in mountainous Western Maryland.

From Washington Post

There were the Jones' for bridge and the Graysons' for canasta and charades with the Bryants.

From Project Gutenberg

And sometime soon make plans to have Horace and Ethel over for an evening of four-handed Canasta.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• poker
• roulette