teetotum

[ tee-toh-tuhm ]

noun
  1. any small top spun with the fingers.

  2. a kind of die having four sides, each marked with a different initial letter, spun with the fingers in an old game of chance.

Origin of teetotum

1
1710–20; earlier T totum, alteration of totum name of toy (<Latin tōtum, neuter of tōtus all) by prefixing its initial letter, which appeared on one side of the toy

Words Nearby teetotum

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How to use teetotum in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for teetotum

teetotum

/ (tiːˈtəʊtəm) /


nounarchaic
  1. a spinning top bearing letters of the alphabet on its four sides

  2. such a top used as a die in gambling games

Origin of teetotum

1
C18: from T totum, from T initial inscribed on one of the faces + totum the name of the toy, from Latin tōtum the whole

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