Etymologically
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volleyball

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 16:35. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈvɒlibɔ(ː)l/[1]

Etymology

It is from English volley + ball, volley in the sporting sense of a hit of the ball in flight,[2][3] so called because the ball must be returned before it touches the ground.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

1896 in Etymonline and Merriam-Webster.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

According to Hendrickson, William Morgan, the YMCA director in Holyoke, Massachusetts, invented the game in 1895 and first called it mintonette.[5]

Timeline

  • 1895 – the game invented as mintonette.[5]
  • 1896 – volleyball.[2][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A game in which two teams, usually of six players, hit a large ball by hand back and forth over a high net, trying to make it land on the other side.
  2. The ball used in this game.

Word family

  • volleyballer
  • wallyball
  • beach volleyball

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Hendrickson, Robert (2008), The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, 4th ed., New York: Facts on File