tennis

tennis
tennis (n.) mid-14c., most likely from Anglo-Fr. tenetz "hold! receive! take!," from O.Fr. tenez, imperative of tenir "to hold, receive, take," which was used as a call from the server to his opponent. The original version of the game (a favorite sport of medieval French knights) was played by striking the ball with the palm of the hand, and in Old French was called la paulme, lit. "the palm," but to an onlooker the service cry would naturally seem to identify the game.
The use of the word for the modern game is from 1874, short for lawn tennis, which originally was called sphairistike (1873), from Gk. sphairistike (tekhne) " (skill) in playing at ball," from the root of SPHERE (Cf. sphere). It was invented, and named, by Maj. Walter C. Wingfield and first played at a garden party in Wales, inspired by the popularity of badminton.
The name 'sphairistike,' however, was impossible (if only because people would pronounce it as a word of three syllables to rhyme with 'pike') and it was soon rechristened. ["Times" of London, June 10, 1927]

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • TENNIS — Existe t il un rapport entre les joueurs aux longs pantalons de flanelle et chemises à manches longues de l’entre deux guerres et les «héros modernes» qui s’affrontent tout au long de compétitions qui leur offrent d’invraisemblables pactoles? Oui …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Tennis — Ten nis, n. [OE. tennes, tenies, tenyse; of uncertain origin, perhaps fr. F. tenez hold or take it, fr. tenir to hold (see {Tenable}).] A play in which a ball is driven to and fro, or kept in motion by striking it with a racket or with the open… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Tennis — Sn std. (19. Jh.) Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus ne. (lawn) tennis. Dieses ist zuerst bezeugt im 14. Jh. und geht auf die Vorform von frz. tenez Halten Sie (ihn) zurück, was der Spieler beim Beginn des Ballwechsels ausrief. Das Spiel ist französischer… …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

  • tennis — / tɛn:is/ s.m. [dall ingl. tennis, accorciamento della locuz. originaria lawn tennis, dove lawn significa piano erboso , e tennis è dal fr. ant. tenes, propr. tenete ]. (sport.) [gioco che si disputa in un campo rettangolare, diviso a metà da una …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • Tennis — Tennis: Der Name des Ballspiels wurde in der 1. Hälfte des 19. Jh.s aus gleichbed. engl. tennis (kurz für lawn tennis »Rasentennis«) entlehnt, das auf mengl. tenes, tenetz als Bezeichnung für ein dem Tennis ähnliches Spiel zurückgeht. Zugrunde… …   Das Herkunftswörterbuch

  • tennis — ► NOUN ▪ a game for two or four players, who use rackets to strike a ball over a net stretched across a grass or clay court. See also REAL TENNIS(Cf. ↑real tennis). ORIGIN originally denoting real tennis: apparently from Old French tenez take,… …   English terms dictionary

  • tennis — [ten′is] n. [ME tenetz, prob. < Anglo Fr tenetz, receive, hold (imper. for OFr tenez) < OFr tenir, to hold (see TENANT): a cry by the server before play] 1. a game, usually played outdoors, in which two players or two pairs of players using …   English World dictionary

  • Tennis — (engl.), Ballspiel im Ballhaus, in Frankreich Jeu de la courte paume genanntes Ballspiel. Wesentliches Erfordernis dieses Ballspiels ist ein besonderes Gebäude (tennis court, jeu de paume, Ballhaus), etwa 29 m lang, 10 m breit, mit einer… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Tennis — [Wichtig (Rating 3200 5600)] Bsp.: • Sie spielt kein Tennis, läuft oder schwimmt nicht. • Kannst du Tennis spielen? …   Deutsch Wörterbuch

  • Tennis — Ten nis, v. t. To drive backward and forward, as a ball in playing tennis. [R.] Spenser. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Tennis — Tennis, Ballspiel, s. Lawn Tennis …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

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