pinochle

[ pee-nuhk-uh l, -nok- ]

/ ˈpi nʌk əl, -nɒk- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pinochle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a popular card game played by two, three, or four persons, with a 48-card deck.

a meld of the queen of spades and the jack of diamonds in this game.

Nearby words

pinny, pinocchio, pinocchio, the adventures of, pinochet, pinochet ugarte, pinochle, pinocyte, pinocytose, pinocytosis, pinole, pinosome

Also penuchle, penuckle, pi·noc·le.

Origin of pinochle

1860–65, Americanism; < Swiss German Binokel, Binoggel < Swiss French binocle literally, pince-nez (see binocle¹), probably adopted as synonym of the less current French besicles spectacles, folk-etymological alteration of bezigue bezique

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pinochle

It's a diversion, much like pinochle or gin rummy were in the days when there were only three TV channels.
Newt Gingrich Isn’t Doomed, Even After a Failed Presidential Campaign|Rich Galen|May 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It was like him to forget all about the herder and the promise of pinochle that night.
The Uphill Climb|B. M. Bower
The house was peaceful, that evening, and he enjoyed a game of pinochle with his wife.
Babbitt|Sinclair Lewis
And I am glad to point out also that the pinochle game is not necessarily broken up.
More Tish|Mary Roberts Rinehart

Euchre doesn't seem the same without a barful of people, and pinochle is not the game that Stein is good at.
Cue for Quiet|Thomas L. Sherred
On everything which a feller buys, from pinochle decks to headache medicine, he will have to put a stamp.
Worrying Won't Win|Montague Glass

British Dictionary definitions for pinochle

pinochle

penuchle, penuckle or pinocle

/ (ˈpiːnʌkəl) /

noun

a card game for two to four players similar to bezique

the combination of queen of spades and jack of diamonds in this game

Word Origin for pinochle

C19: of unknown origin

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