An arcade is a covered passage with arches along the sides, or a place filled with coin-operated games and machines.
From French "arcade" meaning "archway," from Italian "arcata" and Latin "arcus" (bow or arch). The original meaning was architectural, focused on a row of arches.
The jump from a row of arches to a room of video games happened because early shopping arcades housed entertainment machines. So every glowing game hall still carries an echo of elegant stone archways in its name.
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