basketball
Meaning
A game played by two teams of five players who score points by throwing a large ball through an elevated circular hoop.
The large inflated ball used in the game of basketball.
Structure
Usage
He plays basketball for his university team.
The final seconds of the basketball game were incredibly tense.
She dribbled the basketball down the court and made a layup.
Etymology
The word "basketball" is a transparent compound noun created in the modern era to name a new sport invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith. The first element, "basket," was chosen because the original goals were literal peach baskets nailed to a balcony railing. The second element, "ball," denotes the essential spherical equipment. The compound's logic is perfectly literal, describing a game where a ball is aimed into a basket-like goal. While the individual roots trace back to Old English and Latin, their combination is a deliberate, modern construction to define the sport's core action.
Analysis
- basket: From Old English bæsket, a borrowing from an unknown source, likely Latin bascauda (a kind of basin). In this compound, it refers to the netted hoop which functions as a target container. - ball: From Middle English bal, from Old English beall or Old Norse bǫllr, both meaning a rounded object. In this compound, it refers to the spherical object used in play.