Lacrosse

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ləˈkɹɒs/

Definitions

1. A field-based sport that involves two teams using long-handled nets to catch, carry, and pass a small ball, with the objective of scoring by getting the ball into the opposing net
2. A competitive game where two sides utilize sticks with netted ends to control a ball, aiming to score points by successfully throwing the ball into their opponent's goal
3. A team sport played on a rectangular field where players wield long poles with nets to maneuver a ball, seeking to score by getting it past the opposing team's goal line

Etymology: Lacrosse takes its name from the stick rather than the game. In Canadian French, "la crosse" meant "the stick," and it was the crooked, hooked shape of the implement that gave the word its sense. The Canadian French phrase is the direct source of the English word, so the name was carried over from the object itself into English as the name of the sport played with it. The stick is the heart of the story. Its net, held at the end of a long shaft, is what lets players catch, carry, and throw the ball, and the French term that named that implement became the English name for the whole game. English speakers borrowed the phrase whole, keeping its French article and noun together in one word.