mah-jongg
UK[ˌmɑː ˈdʒɒŋ]US[ˌmɑː ˈdʒɑːŋ]
n
A game of Chinese origin, usually for four players, played with tiles bearing various designs, which are drawn and discarded until one player has a winning combination.
Etymology
The word "mah-jongg" entered English in the 1920s, during a period of Western fascination with Chinese culture. It is a transliteration of the Mandarin Chinese term "máquè" (麻雀), which literally means "sparrow." This name is thought to refer either to the chattering sound of the tiles during play or to a specific winning hand. The spelling "mah-jongg" reflects an older romanization system and includes a doubled 'g' likely to indicate a hard final sound. As a loanword, its form was borrowed whole, and its meaning in English is tied directly to the cultural artifact—the tile-based game—rather than being built from combinable English or classical morphemes.
Analysis
The word "mah-jongg" is a direct loanword from Chinese. It is not productively segmented into meaningful morphemes within English. The spelling variants (mahjong, mah-jongg) represent attempts to transliterate the original Chinese term.
Examples
They spent the evening playing a relaxing game of mah-jongg.
The antique set of mah-jongg tiles was beautifully carved from ivory and bamboo.
Learning the complex rules and scoring of mah-jongg can take some time.