What does ninepin mean?
A ninepin is one of the nine pins used in the traditional game of ninepins. The pins are arranged in a triangular formation at the front of the lane, and a player attempts to knock them down with a thrown ball. In the plural, ninepins is also the name of the game itself. The term is related to ten-pin bowling, which uses ten pins arranged in a larger triangular formation and became the dominant form of bowling. Ninepins remains recognizable as a bowling term and gives historical context to the arrangement familiar from modern bowling. In general use, “ninepin” is unusual except in bowling-related language, historical writing, or descriptions of the game’s traditional equipment and formation.
nounOne of the nine bowling pins arranged in a triangular formation. In the plural form, the term also names a bowling game played with fewer pins than ten-pin bowling.
- One of the nine pins used in the game of ninepins, arranged at the front of a bowling lane.
- A bowling pin considered individually, especially as one of the pins in a nine-pin formation.
"The ball struck the leftmost ninepin and sent it spinning across the lane."
"He sent a ninepin flying with a perfect strike."
"The older game of ninepins uses nine pins rather than ten."
The plural refers collectively to the nine pins in the game and is also the established name of the bowling game itself.
"The final throw knocked down all ninepins."
Before ten-pin bowling became standard, a triangular row of nine pins gave the game its name: ninepins.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does ninepin come from?
The word is a compound of nine and pin, referring to one of a set of nine pins. The element nine comes ultimately from Proto-Germanic *nīn, which reflects the same ancient numeral found in cognates such as Dutch negen, German neun, and English ninth, nineteen, and ninety. The compound entered English as a name for the traditional nine-pin bowling game and its individual pins.
Related word forms
How ninepin is actually used
The singular is chiefly used when referring to an individual pin, while the plural is also the established name of the bowling game. In British English, skittle can be used similarly in some bowling contexts.
Easily confused with ninepin
A ninepin is an individual bowling pin, whereas ninepins is also the name of a bowling game played with a smaller set of pins.