/ ˈbɪliədz; NAmE ˈbɪljərdz/ noun
[ U ] a game for two people played with cues (= long sticks) and three balls on a long table covered with green cloth. Players try to hit the balls against each other and into pockets at the edge of the table :
a game of billiards
—compare pool , snooker
► bil·liard adjective [ only before noun ]:
a billiard cue
For more information see the Cultural Guide
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WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent.: from French billard , denoting both the game and the cue, diminutive of bille tree trunk, from medieval Latin billa , billus branch, trunk, probably of Celtic origin..