Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BILL'IARDS, n. [plur. bil'yards; Fr. billard, a mace or billiard table; It. bigliardo; Sp. villar. According to the ancient orthography, balyard, this word is composed of ball and yard, a ball-stick.]

A game played on a rectangular table, covered with a green cloth, with small ivory balls, which the players aim to drive into hazard-nets or pockets at the sides and corners of the tables, by impelling one ball against another, with maces, or cues, according to certain rules of the game.