team

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A group of people who play a sport or game together against others.

   Our school football team won the match on Saturday.

2. 2
   noun

   A group of people who work together on the same activity or job.

   We need more people on the team to finish the project.

3. 3
   verb

   To join with others to do something together.

   The two companies teamed up to build the new bridge.

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Simplified etymology

Team originally meant “the bearing of children” in Old English. Its meaning developed through “a brood of young animals” and “a set of draught animals working together” to the 16th-century sense of a group of people or sports players.

From Middle English tem, teem, teme, from Old English tēam (“child-bearing, offspring, brood, set of draught animals”), from Proto-West Germanic *taum, from Proto-Germanic *taumaz (“that which draws or pulls”), from Proto-Germanic *taugijaną, *tugōną, *teuhōną, *teuhaną (“to lead, bring, pull, draw”), from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to pull, lead”). Cognate with Scots team, teem (“a chain, harness”), Saterland Frisian Toom (“bridle; breeding”), West Frisian team (“bridle, team”), Dutch toom (“bridle, reins, flock of birds”), German Low German Toom (“bridle”), German Zaum (“bridle”), Norwegia…

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External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
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