martingale
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
martingale /ˈmɑːtɪŋgeɪl/
▶noun
- 1 a strap or set of straps running from the noseband or reins to the girth of a horse, used to prevent the horse from raising its head too high.
- 2 a gambling system that involves a continual doubling of the stakes.
– origin C16: from Fr., from Sp. almártaga, from Arab. al-marta‘a ‘the fastening’, influenced by martingale, from Occitan martegal ‘inhabitant of Martigues (in Provence)’.
'martingale' also found in these Oxford entries:
