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faro

1 American  
[fair-oh] / ˈfɛər oʊ /

noun

Cards.
  1. a gambling game in which players place bets on a special board or layout, betting on each series of two cards as they are drawn from a box containing the dealer's or banker's pack.


Faro 2 American  
[fah-roo] / ˈfɑ rʊ /

noun

  1. a seaport in S Portugal.


Faro 1 British  
/ ˈfɑːrəʊ /

noun

  1. a port and resort in S Portugal: destroyed by earthquakes in 1722 and 1755. Pop: 58 051 (2001)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

faro 2 British  
/ ˈfɛərəʊ /

noun

  1. a gambling game in which players bet against the dealer on what cards he will turn up

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of faro

1725–35; spelling variant of Pharaoh (compare Italian faraone, French pharaon ), alleged to be originally a designation for the king of hearts in the game. See Pharaoh

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

De ser electa, añade, “la ciencia será el faro que nos guíe”.

From Science Magazine • May 8, 2024

New York, for example, had 6,000 gambling houses in the 1850s, where visitors could try their luck at games such as faro, chuck-a-luck, loo, all-fours, hearts, euchre, Boston, and whist.

From Slate • May 26, 2022

The other day I made faro spaghetti Bolognese and we opened two very very nice Italian wines — a Barolo and a Brunello.

From New York Times • Feb. 15, 2019

Dorothy’s family history also extends back to that time; her great grandfather was a faro card dealer in one of Skagway’s saloons in the 1890s.

From Washington Times • Jun. 14, 2015

A few hours later, people had begun to fill the Fur- faro home.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel