Hopscotch
/ˈhɒp.skɒtʃ/noun
A children's game in which players hop through numbered squares marked on the ground.
Did you know?The word is a 17th-century compound of two ordinary English words, and the game’s name reflects the exact movement pattern players make—there’s no occult root, just a very old, very physical rhythm of play.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
hoppian
“to hop or leap”
Old English
OE
sceotan
“to shoot, dart, or move swiftly”
17th Century
English
hop scotch
“a hopping-and-darting game or movement pattern”
18th Century
English
hopscotch
“the name becomes fixed as one word for the children’s game”
Modern English
English
hopscotch
“the familiar childhood game of hopping through marked squares”