racket

Where does the word "racket" come from? It comes from Arabic rahat, passing through Old French before entering English (medieval).

Racket’s story begins in Arabic: rahat meant “palm of the hand.” Meaning "palm of the hand", used to strike a ball. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as raquette. Applied to the handheld device used in ball games. It reached English by medieval as racket. Settled as the English word for the sports implement. Today, racket means a strung, handheld frame used to strike a ball in sports like tennis.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval rahat "palm of the hand", meaning "palm of the hand", used to strike a ball.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval raquette "a handheld bat for striking a ball", applied to the handheld device used in ball games.
3. Stage 3 · English · medieval racket "a strung frame used to hit a ball in sports", settled as the English word for the sports implement.