bingo
UK[ˈbɪŋɡəʊ]US[ˈbɪŋɡoʊ]
n
a game in which players mark off numbers on cards as they are called out, the winner being the first to mark off a complete row or pattern.
interj
used to express satisfaction or surprise at a sudden successful event or outcome.
Etymology
the word 'bingo' is a 20th-century coinage, first recorded in the 1920s as the name for the popular lottery-style game. its origin is onomatopoeic, likely mimicking the triumphant cry of a winner. while folk etymology sometimes links it to the slang term 'bing' for a heap or crowd, its primary formation is imitative, capturing the sudden, exclamatory nature of declaring victory. the interjectional use developed naturally from the game's context to signify any sudden, successful discovery or completion.
Analysis
this word is a simplex loanword and cannot be meaningfully segmented into productive morphemes based on its current english spelling.
Examples
we used to play bingo every friday night at the community hall.
bingo! i finally found the missing key.
the researcher shouted "bingo!" when the experiment yielded the predicted result.