tennis
[ ten-is ]
/ ˈtɛn ɪs /
noun
a game played on a rectangular court by two players or two pairs of players equipped with rackets, in which a ball is driven back and forth over a low net that divides the court in half.
Compare
lawn tennis.
Origin of tennis
1350–1400; Middle English
tenetz, ten(e)ys < Anglo-French: take!, imperative plural of
tenir to hold, take, receive, apparently used as a server's call
Words nearby tennis
Example sentences from the Web for tennis
British Dictionary definitions for tennis
tennis
/ (ˈtɛnɪs) /
noun
- a racket game played between two players or pairs of players who hit a ball to and fro over a net on a rectangular court of grass, asphalt, clay, etcSee also lawn tennis, real tennis, court tennis, table tennis
- (as modifier)tennis court; tennis racket
Word Origin for tennis
C14: probably from Anglo-French
tenetz hold (imperative), from Old French
tenir to hold, from Latin
tenēre