carom
UK[ˈkærəm]US[ˈkærəm]
n
a shot in billiards or pool in which the cue ball strikes two other balls successively.
v
to strike and rebound; to make a carom shot.
Etymology
the word 'carom' entered english in the late 18th century from the french term 'carambole', which referred to the red ball in a billiards game. the french word itself was borrowed from spanish 'carambola', likely denoting the red-colored fruit of the carambola tree, used metaphorically for the ball. the spanish term is traced back to the marathi word 'karambal', pointing to its ultimate origins in south asia. the semantic evolution moved from a specific object (a fruit/ball) to describe the complex, rebounding action performed with it on the billiard table.
Analysis
this word is a loanword adopted as a simplex unit into english. its spelling and form were taken as a whole from the source language.
Examples
he won the game with a difficult three-cushion carom.
the ball caromed off the goalpost and into the net.
she practiced the carom shot for hours to perfect her technique.