baize

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a thick, soft woolen cloth resembling felt, often green and used to cover card or billiard tables

   The dealer spread the cards across the green baize.

2. 2
   verb

   to cover or line a surface with baize

   The cabinetmaker baized the drawer to protect the silverware.

Simplified etymology

Baize was borrowed in the late 16th century from French bai, “chestnut-colored,” presumably referring to the cloth’s original color. The same French word is also the source of bay for a brown horse with a black mane and tail.

From French baies, the feminine plural of bai ("bay-colored"), which was reinterpreted in English as a singular noun. The name first referred to the cloth's usual brownish-red color before baize became strongly associated with green table coverings.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary