Racquet
/ˈrækɪt/noun
A bat with a tightly strung oval frame, used to hit a ball or shuttlecock in games such as tennis and badminton.
Did you know?The Arabic source is commonly identified as rāḥa, meaning “palm of the hand,” though scholars note that the word’s journey into European languages remains partly uncertain.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
rāḥa
“Palm of the hand”
Medieval Spanish
Spanish
raqueta
“A hand-shaped implement or racket”
16th Century
Italian
racchetta
“Racket used in ball games”
16th Century
French
raquette
“Racket”
17th Century
English
racket
“A strung frame used to strike a ball”
Modern English
English
racquet
“A spelling variant of racket, especially common in sports terminology”