Pall-Mall
/ˌpæl ˈmæl/noun
A 17th-century outdoor game in which players struck a wooden ball through a hoop using a mallet.
Did you know?London’s Pall Mall was named after the fashionable game once played there, and its name preserves an Italian-French phrase rather than an English invention.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
Italian
pallamaglio
“A game played with a ball and mallet; literally “ball-mallet”.”
16th–17th Century
French
paille-maille
“The French name for the ball-and-mallet game.”
17th Century
English
pall-mall
“The imported game, played by striking a ball through an iron hoop.”
1660s
English
Pall Mall
“The name of a London street associated with the game.”
Modern English
English
pall-mall
“The historical game, or a reference to the London street.”