'baccarat' originates from Italian, specifically the word 'baccarà', where the root referred to 'zero' (reflecting the zero value of tens and face cards in the game).

'baccarà' (Italian) was adopted into French as 'baccarat' and from French entered English usage to denote the card game; later the place-name 'Baccarat' in France became associated with the crystal manufacturer founded there.

Initially it referred to the Italian term for 'zero' and the name of the card game; over time it came to denote both the casino card game in English and the proper name of the French crystal firm 'Baccarat'.