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coon·can

(knkăn′) or con·qui·an (kŏngkē-ən)

An early version of rummy for two players using 40 cards, in which the object is to meld all of the cards in one's hand in straights of 3 or more cards of the same suit or sets of 3 or 4 cards of the same rank.

[Alteration of American Spanish conquián, probably from Spanish con quién, with whom? : con, with (from Latin cum; see kom in the Appendix of Indo-European roots) + quien, whom (from Latin quem, accusative of quis, who; see k^wo- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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