From the Latin root casa, meaning "cottage, house," and the diminutive Italian suffix -ino, comes the word casino, meaning "little house." Technically, a casino is "a building or room used for social amusements," but today casinos are most often associated with gambling. Still, not all casinos are used for wagering and card playing. Like its Latin ancestor, the term casino may still refer to a small country villa or social club like the famed Catalina Casino on Catalina Island, off the coast of California.