While my youngest child and I were playing “track ball” in the back yard yesterday, we got into a discussion about the word “racket”. (Youngest child often wonders about the origin of words, like hamburger. What a good Word Nerd offspring he is!)
I guessed that “racket” came from French, “racquet”, and I was right! Here is the origin of the word “racket”.
According to Online Etymology Dictionary, racquet or racket was used as far back as 1500 to describe a “handled hitting device used in tennis, etc”. It comes from the French word racquet meaning a “racket for hitting” or “palm of the hand”. Turns out, the game of tennis started with medieval French knights who would play a game by striking a ball with the palm of their hand. (Ouch?) Racquet might also come from Italian racchetta or Spanish raqueta, both often said to be from Arabic rahat, a form of raha “palm of the hand”.
Word Nerd side note: “tennis” comes from French tenez, imperative of tenir “to hold, receive, take”, which was used as a call from the server to his opponent.
Now, may I suggest that you pick up a racket, go outside, and enjoy the summer weather! (And impress your playing partners with some Word Nerd knowledge!)
If you like to learn new words and the origins of their meanings, visit the Wondrous Words Wednesday meme at Bermuda Onion. Each Wednesday, bloggers share new words they’ve learned.
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
The “love” in tennis comes from French too. Now I’m wondering about the origin of tennis.