Nintendo

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A Japanese multinational consumer electronics and video game company known for creating popular gaming consoles and franchises
2. A global entertainment entity celebrated for its iconic video game series and innovative gaming experiences
3. A firm distinguished for its contributions to the gaming industry, including beloved characters and groundbreaking technology

Etymology: Nintendo's name comes from a Japanese phrase that means "leave it to heaven." The characters 任 (nin, "entrust"), 天 (ten, "heaven") and 堂 (dō, "hall" or "establishment") combine into 任天堂 (Nintendō), which was a company name chosen in Kyoto for a firm that began as a maker of hanafuda playing cards. The phrase behind it is 運を天に任せる (un o ten ni makaseru), "to leave one's fortune to heaven," so the name amounts to something like "the company that trusts to fate." The phrase itself draws on a Japanese idea of chance and destiny. The English form is simply the Japanese name borrowed as it stands, so the word is a transliteration of a company name rather than an English coinage with a Latin or Greek base.