tennis

 
Pronunciation: /ˈtɛnɪs/

noun

[mass noun]
  • a game in which two or four players strike a ball with rackets over a net stretched across a court. The usual form (originally called lawn tennis) is played with a felt-covered hollow rubber ball on a grass, clay, or artificial surface. See also real tennis

Origin:

late Middle English tenetz, tenes 'real tennis', apparently from Old French tenez 'take, receive' (called by the server to an opponent), imperative of tenir