Where does “軟式テニス” come from?

軟式テニス (Japanese) comes from Japanese テニス, 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.

Ancestry of “軟式テニス”, step by step

軟式テニス traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese テニス

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseテニスtennis
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 Japanese 式

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese式type, style; formula; ceremony, ritual, function

via Japanese 軟

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese軟soft
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ten- →Every word from Proto-Italic tenēō →Every word from Latin teneō →