Dominoes and Dominos

The word domino originally referred to a long, hooded cloak (or mozzetta) worn by priests in France and Italy during the Middle Ages. The name is likely derived from the Latin phrase benedicamus Domino, meaning 'let us bless the Lord' or simply dominus, meaning master or lord.

By the 18th century, this black hooded garment became popular at Venetian and French masquerades to hide one's identity. It was often made of black silk and worn with a small black mask.

Couturiers in France then transformed dominos into a more colourful version worn over other clothes in colder weather.

Meanwhile, the game of Dominoes originated in China and arrived in Italy in the early 18th century.

The European version of the tiles were often made with dark, ebony wood backs and white ivory faces. This reminded people of a priest's hooded domino cape, and by extension, the fashionable hooded capes worn by the rich.

And so the capes and the tiles were both called dominoes, with the first recorded use for the tiles in French being in 1771.