quinella [kee-nel-uh, kwi-] Word Origin noun
- a type of bet, especially on horse races, in which the bettor, in order to win, must select the first- and second-place finishers without specifying their order of finishing.
- a race in which such bets are made.
Also qui·nel·a, quiniela. Compare exacta. Origin of quinella 1940–45, Americanism; American Spanish quiniela, equivalent to Spanish quin(a) (French quine keno) + -iela noun suffix British Dictionary definitions for quinela quinella noun
- Australian and NZ a form of betting on a horse race in which the punter bets on selecting the first and second place-winners in any order
Word Origin for quinella from American Spanish quiniela a game of chance Word Origin and History for quinela quinella n.
form of betting in which the bettor picks the first and second horses in a given race, 1942, American English, from American Spanish quiniela, originally a ball game with five players, from Latin quini “five each,” from quinque “five” (see quinque-). The sense evolution in Spanish was said to be from the game to a wager on the scores of the players, hence “any wager against the house.”