Where does “Tennisball” come from?

Tennisball (German) comes from German Tennis, 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.

Tennisball (German): tennis ball

Definitions

  1. tennis ball

Ancestry of “Tennisball”, step by step

Tennisball traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Tennis

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanTennistennis
2EnglishtennisA sport played by two players (or four in doubles), who alternately strike the ball over a net using racquets
3Old Frenchtenezsecond-person plural present indicative of tenir;...
4Old Frenchtenirto possess; to have; to hold
5Latinteneōto hold, have; to grasp
6Proto-Italictenēōto hold
7Proto-Indo-Europeanten-to stretch, to extend

via German ball

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanballball round or roundish object, most commonly used in games
2Frenchbaldance party, ball
3Old Frenchbal—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ten- →Every word from Proto-Italic tenēō →Every word from Latin teneō →