das Tennis, null

Definition & meaning

Tennis is a ball sport played between two players (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). The game is played on a rectangular court, typically made of grass, clay, or hard surfaces. The objective is to hit a ball with a racket over a net into the opponent's court in such a way that the opponent cannot return it properly.

In German, the word refers exclusively to the sport. There are no secondary meanings in common usage.

Grammar & Word origin

The word is a neuter noun in German: das Tennis. It is usually used without an article when referring to the sport in general (e.g., "Ich spiele Tennis"). When referring to a specific match, the article is used (e.g., "Das Tennis heute war spannend").

The term is a direct loanword from English, which in turn derived it from the Old French word "tenez," the imperative form of the verb "tenir," meaning "to hold" or "receive." In historical French tennis, the server would shout "Tenez!" to announce that they were about to serve.

Synonyms & antonyms

There are no direct synonyms for the word, as it is the standard term for the sport. However, related terms in the context of the sport include:

• Rückschlagspiel↗ (a generic term for racket sports)
• Tennisspiel↗ (the act of playing tennis)
• Platz↗ (often used in the context of a tennis court)

There are no direct antonyms for the word "Tennis."