Where does “pickleball” come from?
pickleball (English) comes from English pickle boat, from English pickle, from English pick, from Middle English piken, from Middle English pyke, from Old English pīc, from Proto-Germanic *pīk, from Latin pix — sap, juice.
pickleball (English): A racquet sport, played with solid paddles and a...
Definitions
- A racquet sport, played with solid paddles and a...
Ancestry of “pickleball”, step by step
pickleball traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English pickle boat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pickle boat | In certain fishing fleets, the last boat to return to the dock |
| 2 | English | pickle | A cucumber preserved in a solution, usually a... |
| 3 | English | pick | A tool used for digging; a pickaxe; A tool for... |
| 4 | Middle English | piken | To pick at; to use a edged tool on; To pierce or... |
| 5 | Middle English | pyke | A sharp round point or projection; A point or end... |
| 6 | Old English | pīc | pointed object, pick axe |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *pīk | — |
| 8 | Latin | pix | pitch, tar |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pik- | to be angry; pitch; resin |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pi- | sap, juice |
via English Ball
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ball | surname |
| 2 | Middle English | bal | A ball; A rounded or spherical lump or bump,... |
| 3 | Old English | beall | ball |
| 4 | English | beal | A small inflammatory tumor; pustule; To gather... |
| 5 | Old English | hyll | hill |
| 6 | Albanian | hulli | furrow |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | hulliz | hill |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kl̥Hnís | hill |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kelH- | to rise, to be tall; hill |