bil·liards

[bil-yerdz]
noun ( used with a singular verb )
any of several games played with hard balls of ivory or of a similar material that are driven with a cue on a cloth-covered table enclosed by a raised rim of rubber, especially a game played with a cue ball and two object balls on a table without pockets. Compare pool2 ( def 8 ).
Origin:
1585–95; plural of billiard

Related forms
bil·liard·ist, noun
00:10
Billiards is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

bil·liard

[bil-yerd]
adjective
1.
of or used in billiards.
noun
2.
carom ( def 1 ).
Origin:
1630–40; < French billard cue, equivalent to bille stick (see billet2) + -ard -ard

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To billiards
Collins
World English Dictionary
billiard (ˈbɪljəd) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
(modifier) of or relating to billiards: a billiard table; a billiard cue; a billiard ball

billiards (ˈbɪljədz) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  any of various games in which long cues are used to drive balls now made of composition or plastic. It is played on a rectangular table covered with a smooth tight-fitting cloth and having raised cushioned edges
2.  pool Compare snooker a version of this, played on a rectangular table having six pockets let into the corners and the two longer sides. Points are scored by striking one of three balls with the cue to contact the other two or one of the two
 
[C16: from Old French billard curved stick, from Old French bille log; see billet²]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

billiards
1590s, from Fr. billiard, originally the wooden cue stick, a dim. form from O.Fr. bille "stick of wood," from Gaul. *bilia "tree" (cf. Ir. bile "tree trunk").

billiard
sing. of billiards (q.v.), used only in combinations.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Play tennis, golf--including family golf--croquet, and billiards.
Golfing, tennis and billiards are nearby, and the site has scheduled game
  nights.
If none of the three pools will suffice, kids can enjoy billiards, ping pong
  and other table games.
Other amenities include complimentary buffet breakfast and sports facilities
  such table tennis and billiards.
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