A teetotum (or T-totum) is a form of spinning top most commonly used for gambling games. It has a polygonal body marked with letters or numbers, which indicate the result of each spin. [1][2] Usage goes back to (at least) ancient Greeks and Romans, with the popular put and take gambling version going back to medieval times. [2] .

teetotum, form of top having usually 4, 6, 8, or 12 sides marked with distinctive symbols. A teetotum is used for playing games, mostly of the gambling variety, and serves in place of dice. The hexagonal (six-sided) teetotum was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Aug 18, 2017 · A teetotum was a small spinning top that could be either bought with a game or made at home by players. After it was spun, the teetotum would topple over on one of its sides, which had been marked with a number.

The meaning of TEETOTUM is a small top usually inscribed with letters and used in put-and-take.

Apr 22, 2014 · Teetotum or tee-totum appeared in the English language between 1710 and 1720, although it is believed to have originated during the Middle Ages in Germany where it was called a “torrel” or “trundl.” A teetotum refers to a gambling spinning top that was spun with the object of winning the pool.

Jun 24, 2016 · The word teetotum, which dates back to the 18th century, denotes a small four-sided disk or die having an initial letter inscribed on each of its sides, and a spindle passing down through it by which it could be twirled or spun with the fingers like a small top, the letter which lay uppermost, when…

any small top spun with the fingers. a kind of die having four sides, each marked with a different initial letter, spun with the fingers in an old game of chance. Seizing The Youngster by the …

The teetotum is a spinning top used in games of chance. It has a polygonal, or multi-flat-sided, body marked with letters or numbers that represent the game action to be taken. The earliest records date back to circa 100 BCE, and can be described as a cube-shaped, 6-sided die threaded onto a spindle.

Aug 25, 2006 · teetotum, form of top having usually 4, 6, 8, or 12 sides marked with distinctive symbols. A teetotum is used for playing games, mostly of the gambling variety, and serves in place of dice. The hexagonal (six-sided) teetotum was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Nov 27, 2013 · A spinning top with flat facets, known as a "totum" or "teetotum," is an ancient form of randomizer, but a emerged as a particularly popular gambling tool in Germany ca. 1500 CE. From there it spread throughout Europe as an alternative to dice.