tournament

Where does the word "tournament" come from? It comes from Old French torneiement, and was adopted directly into English (1200s).

Tournament’s story begins in Old French: torneiement meant “a turning, a mock combat.” From tourner (to turn), describing knights wheeling their horses in a mock combat. It reached English by 1200s as tournament. Settled as the English word for a competitive contest with multiple rounds. Today, tournament means a competition involving a series of contests between many participants.

1. Stage 1 · Old French · medieval torneiement "a turning, a mock combat", from tourner (to turn), describing knights wheeling their horses in a mock combat.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1200s tournament "a competition involving a series of contests", settled as the English word for a competitive contest with multiple rounds.