Where does “roulette” come from?
Roulette comes from French roulette, a diminutive of roule derived from Latin rota meaning "wheel," which traces to Proto-Indo-European *ret- meaning "to roll or turn."
roulette (English): A game of chance, in which a small ball is made...
Definitions
- A game of chance, in which a small ball is made...
Ancestry of “roulette”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | roulette | small wheel; caster, castor; cycloid |
| 2 | French | rouler | to roll; to revolve; to go |
| 3 | Old French | ruele | — |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | rotulo | dative singular of rotulus; ablative singular of... |
| 5 | Latin | rotula | a small wheel; roll |
| 6 | Arabic | رَطْل | — |
| 7 | Classical Syriac | ܪܝܛܠܐ | — |
| 8 | Classical Syriac | ܠܝܛܪܐ | libra, pound |
| 9 | French | litre | litre |
| 10 | Medieval Latin | litra | — |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | λίτρα | litra, a Sicilian silver coin; libra, a unit of... |
| 12 | Proto-Italic | *līðrā | ingot |