Origin: French suffix -ette
Roulette has 5 different meanings across 1 category:
a line generated by a point on one figure rolling around a second figure
"The mathematician spent hours tracing the roulette formed as a circle rolled along another curve to find its equation."
a wheel with teeth for making a row of perforations
"The vintage machine gun used a specialized roulette to rapidly punch a line of holes in the ammunition belts before they were loaded."
a gambling game in which players bet on which compartment of a revolving wheel a small ball will come to rest in
"She placed her last dollar on red at the roulette table, hoping the spinning wheel would finally land in her favor."
A game of chance, in which a small ball is made to move round rapidly on a circle divided off into numbered red and black spaces, the one on which it stops indicating the result of a variety of wagers permitted by the game.
"After losing our savings at roulette last night, we decided to close up shop early."
In plain English: Roulette is a casino game where players bet on which number or color a spinning ball will land on.
"The casino was packed with people spinning the roulette wheel to try their luck."
To separate or decorate by incisions made with a small toothed wheel.
"The artisan used the roulette tool to press delicate floral patterns into the soft clay before it hardened."
In plain English: To roulette something means to spin it around quickly.
"They decided to leave their vacation plans to roulette, hoping for a spontaneous adventure."
Usage: Use this verb to describe cutting decorative patterns into wood, leather, or metal using a specialized tool called a rouletting knife. It is often confused with the noun "roulette," which refers to the gambling game rather than the craft technique.
The word comes from the French roulette, meaning "little wheel," and entered English to describe that spinning device used in gambling. Its modern figurative sense, referring to any risky situation with unpredictable consequences, is likely an extension of the phrase "Russian roulette."