Where does “tennis” come from?
tennis (Finnish) comes from English tennis, from Old French tenez, from Old French tenir, from Latin teneō, from Proto-Italic tenēō, from Proto-Indo-European ten- — to stretch, to extend.
tennis (Finnish): tennis
Definitions
- tennis
Ancestry of “tennis”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tennis | A sport played by two players (or four in doubles), who alternately strike the ball over a net using racquets |
| 2 | Old French | tenez | second-person plural present indicative of tenir;... |
| 3 | Old French | tenir | to possess; to have; to hold |
| 4 | Latin | teneō | to hold, have; to grasp |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | tenēō | to hold |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |