tennis

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A sport played by two players (or four in doubles), who alternately strike the ball over a net using racquets.

   “Anthea hasn't a notion in her head but to vamp a lot of silly mugwumps. She's set her heart on that tennis bloke[…]whom the papers are making such a fuss about.”

2. 2
   noun

   A match in this sport.

   We go about to parties in the daytime as usual, teas and tennises[…]

3. 3
   noun

   An earlier game in which a ball is driven to and fro, or kept in motion by striking it with a racquet or with the open hand.

   tennis-balls

4. 4
   verb

   To drive backward and forward like a tennis ball.

   they shall have Intelligence or Espial upon the Enemy, will so drive him from one side to another, and tennis him amongst them

5. 5
   noun

   a game played with rackets by two or four players who hit a ball back and forth over a net that divides the court

6. 6
   verb

   To play tennis.

7. 7
   name

   An unincorporated community in Finney County, Kansas, United States.

Etymology

From Middle English tennys, teneys, tenis, from Old French tenez (second-person plural imperative of tenir (“to hold”)).