lanterloo

English

Etymology

French lanturlu, originally the refrain of a sixteenth-century song.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /læntəˈluː/

Noun

lanterloo (plural lanterloos)

1. A meaningless chant or refrain.

   • 1963: The helmsman began to sing a monotonous, Levantine lanterloo. — Thomas Pynchon, V.

2. (card games) An old trick-taking card game (also known as loo), where each player is dealt three or five cards. It gained much popularity in England in the 17th century, as a gambling game or a domestic pastime.