/ ˈtenɪs; NAmE / (also formal ˌlawn ˈtennis ) noun
[ U ] a game in which two or four players use rackets to hit a ball backwards and forwards across a net on a specially marked court :
to play tennis
a tennis player / tournament / club / court
For more information see the Cultural Guide
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English tenetz , tenes real tennis , apparently from Old French tenez take, receive (called by the server to an opponent), imperative of tenir .