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.

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.

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