Where does “tennisbal” come from?
tennisbal (Dutch) comes from Dutch bal, from Middle Dutch bal, from Old Dutch bal, from Frankish ball, from Northern Sami bállu, from Northern Sami ballát, from Proto-Samic pëlājëtēk, from Proto-Samic pëlëtēk — to fear.
tennisbal (Dutch): tennis ball
Definitions
- tennis ball
Ancestry of “tennisbal”, step by step
tennisbal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch bal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | bal | a ball or any object with such a shape; testicle,... |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | bal | ball (round object), sphere |
| 3 | Old Dutch | bal | — |
| 4 | Frankish | ball | — |
| 5 | Northern Sami | bállu | testicle, ball |
| 6 | Northern Sami | ballát | to become scared |
| 7 | Proto-Samic | pëlājëtēk | to become scared |
| 8 | Proto-Samic | pëlëtēk | to fear |
| 9 | Proto-Uralic | pele- | to fear |
via Dutch tennis
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | tennis | tennis sport |
| 2 | English | tennis | A sport played by two players (or four in doubles), who alternately strike the ball over a net using racquets |
| 3 | Old French | tenez | second-person plural present indicative of tenir;... |
| 4 | Old French | tenir | to possess; to have; to hold |
| 5 | Latin | teneō | to hold, have; to grasp |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | tenēō | to hold |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |