pall-mall

pall-mall

 (pĕl′mĕl′, păl′măl′, pôl′môl′)

n.

1. A game of the 1600s in which a boxwood ball was struck with a mallet to drive it through an iron ring suspended at the end of an alley.

2. The alley in which this game was played.

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[Obsolete French pallemaille, from Italian pallamaglio : palla, ball (of Germanic origin; see bhel- in Indo-European roots) + maglio, mallet (from Latin malleus; see melə- in Indo-European roots).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pall-mall

(ˈpælˈmæl)

n

1. (Team Sports, other than specified) a game in which a ball is driven by a mallet along an alley and through an iron ring

2. (Team Sports, other than specified) the alley itself

[C17: from obsolete French, from Italian pallamaglio, from palla ball + maglio mallet]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pall-mall

(ˈpɛlˈmɛl, ˈpælˈmæl, ˈpɔlˈmɔl)

n.

1. a game, popular in the 17th century, in which a ball of boxwood was struck with a mallet in an attempt to drive it through a raised iron ring at the end of a playing alley.

2. the playing alley.

[1560–70; < Middle French pallemaille < Italian pallamaglio=palla ball¹ (< Langobardic) + maglio mallet (< Latin malleus)]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

pall-mall - a 17th century game; a wooden ball was driven along an alley with a mallet game - a contest with rules to determine a winner; "you need four people to play this game"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.