Bezique
/bəˈziːk/noun
A card game for two or more players, traditionally played with a 64-card pack and involving combinations of cards called melds.
Did you know?Bezique became especially fashionable in Victorian Europe, and the related game Rubicon bezique was reportedly enjoyed by Winston Churchill.
Etymological Timeline
18th Century
Italian
bazzica
“A card game; often proposed as a possible source, though the connection is uncertain.”
18th–19th Century
French
bésigue
“The name of a card game, probably borrowed or adapted from an uncertain source.”
19th Century
French
bézique
“A card game involving melds and special scoring combinations.”
1860s
English
bezique
“An English borrowing for the French card game.”
Modern English
English
bezique
“A card game traditionally played with a reduced or specially prepared pack of cards.”