A teetotum (or T-totum) is a form of spinning top most commonly used for gambling games. It has a polygonal body marked with letters or numbers, which indicate the result of each spin. [1][2] Usage goes back to (at least) ancient Greeks and Romans, with the popular put and take gambling version going back to medieval times. [2] .

teetotum, form of top having usually 4, 6, 8, or 12 sides marked with distinctive symbols. A teetotum is used for playing games, mostly of the gambling variety, and serves in place of dice. The hexagonal (six-sided) teetotum was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Aug 18, 2017 · A teetotum was a small spinning top that could be either bought with a game or made at home by players. After it was spun, the teetotum would topple over on one of its sides, which had been marked with a number.

The meaning of TEETOTUM is a small top usually inscribed with letters and used in put-and-take.

Apr 22, 2014 · Teetotum or tee-totum appeared in the English language between 1710 and 1720, although it is believed to have originated during the Middle Ages in Germany where it was called a “torrel” or “trundl.” A teetotum refers to a gambling spinning top that was spun with the object of winning the pool.

Jun 24, 2016 · The word teetotum, which dates back to the 18th century, denotes a small four-sided disk or die having an initial letter inscribed on each of its sides, and a spindle passing down through it by which it could be twirled or spun with the fingers like a small top, the letter which lay uppermost, when…

The teetotum is a spinning top used in games of chance. It has a polygonal, or multi-flat-sided, body marked with letters or numbers that represent the game action to be taken. The earliest records date back to circa 100 BCE, and can be described as a cube-shaped, 6-sided die threaded onto a spindle.

Nov 5, 2020 · In 1738, Jean-Baptiste Simeon Chardin (1699-1799), exhibited his painting of a young boy playing with a teetotum. Yes, it looks like a marshmallow on a toothpick, but it's a toy like a spinning top. Many of the early games which I've featured in my recent posts used a teetotum to see what the player's options were instead of dice which were ...

What does the noun teetotum mean? There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun teetotum . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

Jun 20, 2023 · Actually, the easiest way to describe a teetotum is this: That image is, in fact, quite close to the one shown in the painting. (Here’s another hint: it’s held by a girl with her back to us.)...