Inning

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A segment of a baseball or softball game during which one team bats and the other fields ; a period spent performing a particular job or task
2. A part of a game where teams alternate offense and defense ; a span of time dedicated to a specific activity or duty
3. One of the divisions in baseball or softball marking turns at bat and fielding ; a set duration in which someone carries out work or an event takes place

Etymology: The word "inning" is a back-formation, which means it was built by reversing a word that already existed. The original word was "innings," the plural form, which cricket and baseball players and fans have long used for a team's turn at bat. Its singular was then created by stripping off the final "s," as if "innings" were simply a plural noun that needed a matching singular. The mistake lies in how the plural got understood. "Innings" was taken to be the plural of a time period, meaning a stretch of time in which a side batted, rather than a plural referring to the batters themselves. Because of that, speakers reasoned that a single turn should be an "inning." The usage then spread from that false starting point, and today "inning" is standard in American baseball and softball.

Synonyms: frame, period, round