bookmaker

English

Etymology

From Middle English bokmakere, boke maker, equivalent to book +‎ maker. The gambling term came from the archaic phrase make book or make a book, used in 19th century England.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbʊkmeɪkə/
• (Standard Southern British) IPA^(key): /ˈbɵkmɛjkə/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbʊkmeɪkɚ/
• (some Northern England, especially Northumbria) IPA^(key): /ˈbuːkmeɪkə/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈbʉkmekəɾ/
• (Northern Ireland) IPA^(key): /ˈbʉkmekəɹ/

Noun

bookmaker (plural bookmakers)

1. A person who prints or binds books.
2. A person who compiles books from the writings of others.
3. (gambling) A person (or a business) who calculates odds and accepts bets, especially on horse racing; a bookie.

Related terms

• make a book
• sportsbook

Translations

a person who prints or binds books

• Arabic: مُؤَلِّف m (muʔallif), كَتَّاب (ar) m (kattāb)
• Finnish: kirjatyöntekijä (fi)
• German: Druckereiarbeiter m
• Greek: βιβλιοδέτης (el) m or f (vivliodétis) (bookbinder)
• Hebrew: מדפיס m (madpís); כורך m (korékh)
• Hungarian: könyves (hu)
• Italian: tipografo (it) m, rilegatore m
• Romanian: legător (ro) m, legătoare (ro) f

a person who calculates odds and accepts bets; a bookie

• Arabic: مُرَاهِن m (murāhin)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 賭注登記人 / 赌注登记人 (dǔzhùdēngjìrén), 賭博業者 / 赌博业者 (dǔbóyèzhě)

• Esperanto: vetperisto
• Finnish: vedonvälittäjä
• French: bookmaker (fr) m
• Georgian: ბუკმეკერი (buḳmeḳeri)
• German: Buchmacher (de) m, Buchmacherin (de) f, Bookmaker m, Bookie m or f
• Greek: πράκτορας στοιχημάτων m (práktoras stoichimáton)
• Hungarian: bukméker (hu)
• Indonesian: bandar (id)
• Italian: bookmaker (it) m, allibratore (it) m
• Japanese: ブックメーカー (bukkumēkā), ブッキー (bukkī)
• Korean: 마권업자 (magwoneopja), 북메이커 (bungmeikeo), 부키 (buki)
• Macedonian: букмејкер m (bukmejker)
• Marathi: सट्टेबाज m (saṭṭebāj)
• Polish: bukmacher (pl) m
• Portuguese: agenciador de apostas
• Romanian: book-maker m
• Russian: букме́кер (ru) m (bukméker)
• Spanish: corredor de apuestas m
• Swedish: bookmaker (sv) c
• Turkish: bahisçi (tr)
• Ukrainian: букме́кер (uk) m (bukméker)

See also

• betting shop
• bookbinding

Further reading

• bookmaker on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Czech

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English bookmaker. First attested in the 20th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbukmɛjkr̩]
• Hyphenation: book‧ma‧ker

Noun

bookmaker m anim (female equivalent bookmakerka)

1. bookmaker (betting)

Declension

Declension of bookmaker (hard masculine animate)

	singular	plural
nominative	bookmaker	bookmakeři
genitive	bookmakera	bookmakerů
dative	bookmakerovi, bookmakeru	bookmakerům
accusative	bookmakera	bookmakery
vocative	bookmakere	bookmakeři
locative	bookmakerovi, bookmakeru	bookmakerech
instrumental	bookmakerem	bookmakery

Further reading

• “bookmaker”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “bookmaker”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “bookmaker”, in Akademický slovník současné češtiny, 2012–2026, slovnikcestiny.cz
• “bookmaker”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2026

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English bookmaker.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /buk.mɛ.kœʁ/ ~ /buk.me.kœʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (France (Saint-Maurice-de-Beynost)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Noun

bookmaker m (plural bookmakers)

1. bookmaker (betting)

Further reading

• “bookmaker”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English bookmaker.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bukˈmɛ.ker/
• Rhymes: -ɛker

Noun

bookmaker m (invariable)

1. bookmaker (betting)

   Synonym: allibratore

Swedish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English bookmaker. First attested in 1869.

Noun

bookmaker c

1. (gambling, chiefly foreign) a bookmaker
   • 1869 March 13, “Blandade Ämnen”, in Tidning för hästvänner, number 7, Jönköping, page 8:

     M:r Stephenson, en "bookmaker" och vadagent, storartad i sina företag, liksom den för kort tid sedan aflidne M:r Jackson, har den 9 Februari, utan något förklarligt skäl, skurit halsen af sig i sin bostad i London.

     Mr. Stephenson, a bookmaker and betting-agent, distinguished for the magnitude of his undertakings, like the lately deceased Mr. Jackson, did, on the 9th of February, without any assignable reason, cut his throat in his dwelling in London.

   • 1927, Albert Engström, Ur mina memoarer, Stockholm: Bonnier, page 84:

     Med honom bevistade jag det årets Derbylöpning och förlorade jämnt ett pund till en förtroendeingivande bookmaker.

     With him I attended that year’s Derby, and lost exactly one pound to a most trustworthy-looking bookmaker.

   • 2020 September 17, Moa Berander, “Föreslår nytt jobb till Zlatan”, in Aftonbladet‎^[1], archived from the original on 1 October 2020:

     Inför matchen har arenan alltså pyntats. Åtminstone tre skyltar har satts upp runt planen. Avsändaren verkar vara Paddy Power, en irländsk bookmaker.

     The stadium has been decorated ahead of the match. At least three signs have been put up around the pitch. The sender appears to be Paddy Power, an Irish bookmaker.

Derived terms

• bookmaker toast

See also

• spelbolag
• speloperatör

References

• “bookmaker”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “bookmaker”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)