tennis

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈten.ɪs/^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English tenetz, tenyes, tenis,^[2][3][4] most often explained as borrowed from Anglo-Norman tenetz (“hold! take!”),^[3][5] from Old French tenez, the imperative of tenir (“to hold, receive”) (see tenet), supposedly the server's call to the opponent.^[3][2][4][6] Barnhart notes that no such call is recorded in French, where the game was called la paume “the palm”, and that Middle English rarely formed nouns from French imperatives, which argues against this explanation; the Century Dictionary called it “purely imaginary”.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The game, tenyes: 1345–46 in Barnhart, the mid-14th century in Etymonline; the OED's first quotation is about 1400.^[2][3][7]

Semantic evolution

The old game, now real or court tennis, was played in an enclosed court, first striking the ball with the palm.^[3][8][9] Since 1874 (1878 in the OED) tennis has meant lawn tennis, invented by Major Walter C. Wingfield, who first called it sphairistike (1873).^[3][7] The verb, to play tennis, is from before 1475, and to toss to and fro like a ball from 1565.^[7] Tennis ball is from the early 15th century.^[3] Anyone for tennis?, a stock entrance line in drawing-room comedies, is recorded from 1953.^[7][8]

Timeline

• 1345–46 – tenyes, the game.^[2]
• a1475 – to play tennis.^[7]
• early 15th century – tennis ball.^[3]
• 1873 – sphairistike.^[3]
• 1874 – lawn tennis.^[3]
• 1953 – anyone for tennis?.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A game in which two or four players hit a ball over a net with rackets on a marked court.
2. Real tennis, the older indoor game.

Word family

• court tennis
• paddle tennis
• platform tennis
• tennis bracelet
• tennis shoe
• squash tennis
• lawn tennis
• table tennis

Related words

• tenet
• tenable

Usage notes

The AHD notes that, surprisingly, the origin of the word is not known precisely, although much is known about the history of the game.^[10] In Rutland dialect, to tennis meant to make something rebound.^[11]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
11. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)