canasta
canasta Lexical Profile
canasta Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A card game of the rummy family played with two full decks of cards and four jokers, typically by four players in two partnerships, in which the objective is to score points by forming melds of seven or more cards of the same rank.
"Every Sunday afternoon, my grandparents invited the neighbors over for a lively game of canasta."
In the game of canasta, a completed meld consisting of seven or more cards of the same rank, with or without wild cards.
"She laid down two natural canastas to win the hand for her team."
• Rhymes for canasta
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish canasta ('basket'), ultimately from Latin canistrum and Ancient Greek kanastron ('wicker basket'), derived from kanna ('reed'). The card game originated in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1939 and took its name from the small basket placed on the table to hold the deck and discard pile.