Cueists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals skilled in playing billiards, particularly those competing in cue sports
2. People who play cue sports, such as billiards and snooker, using cues to strike balls on a table
3. Enthusiasts or professionals engaged in cue sports, showcasing their prowess in games like pool and snooker

Etymology: "Cueists" is the plural of "cueist," a noun formed from "cue," the billiards stick, plus the suffix "-ist," which marks a person who practices or is skilled in something. The pattern is the same as "pianist" or "cyclist," so a cueist is simply someone who plays with a cue. The base word "cue" has its own twist: it is an alteration of "queue," the word for a line of waiting people, and in billiards it likely came from the shape of the stick's tapered end, which looks like the tail of a queue. Using "-ist" on that noun produced a term for players rather than a term for the equipment itself.

Synonyms: billiard players, pool players