Etymology: < Anglo-Norman and Middle French tabler, Middle French tablier (French tablier , now usually in other senses: see tablier n.) chessboard (late 12th cent. in Old French), game of backgammon (end of the 13th cent. or earlier in Anglo-Norman), board on which various board games, especially backgammon, are played (1306 in Old French) < table table n. + -er , -ier -er suffix². Compare classical Latin tabulārium tabulary n., in post-classical Latin also gaming-board (from 12th cent. in British sources; also as tablerium ), Old Occitan (Gascon) taulier (13th cent. or earlier), Italian tavoliere (late 13th cent. or earlier). Compare also table n. 4 and later tablier n. 1. N.E.D. (1910) entered the following quot. as exemplifying a different, uncertain sense, perhaps ‘tablecloth’ or ‘towel’:1393 in L. T. Smith Exped. Prussia & Holy Land Earl Derby (1894) 178 Graunsom bastard pro j tabler per ipsum empt. ibidem pro domino, xij scot. However, it is unclear whether the quot. should be interpreted as showing a Middle English word rather than an Anglo-Norman variant of Middle French tablier (which is attested in sense ‘tablecloth’ already in the late 12th cent. in Old French). It is also possible that the sense of tabler in the quot., and also of post-classical Latin tablerium in the following quot., may be ‘gaming-board’ rather than ‘tablecloth’ or ‘towel’:1392 in L. T. Smith Exped. Prussia & Holy Land Earl Derby (1894) 281 Pro iiij lb. cotoni et j matte..pro j tablerio.

Etymology: Partly < table v. + -er suffix¹, and partly < table n. + -er suffix¹. In sense 1 probably after classical Latin tabulārius accountant, book-keeper, or similar. In sense 2 after Hellenistic Greek τραπεζίτης money changer (New Testament). In sense 6 perhaps independently shortened < Round Tabler n.. Compare Middle French tablier money changer (c1465; rare), person who provides board for payment (1522), Dutch tafelier boarder (already in Middle Dutch; now regional (Flanders)), person who provides board for payment (end of the 16th cent.; now obsolete), money changer (1599 in an apparently isolated attestation). With sense 3 compare Middle French (Normandy) tableour backgammon player (c1350 in an isolated attestation) and earlier tavler n.