kəˈnastə, -ˈä-, -ˈaa-, -ˈȧ- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Spanish, literally, basket, probably back-formation from canastillo wicker tray, from Late Latin canistellum, diminutive of Latin canistrum basket — more at canister
1. : a card game that is a form of rummy played usually as a 2-hand or as a 4-hand partnership game using two full decks plus four jokers, all jokers and deuces being wild, red threes having special scoring value, and black threes having special value in play, the object being to meld groups but not sequences of cards especially of seven or more of the same rank which earn large bonuses — called also basket rummy ; compare bolivia , samba
2. : a combination of at least seven cards of the same rank melded in the game of canasta and related games