Pickleball

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A game featuring two to four players who utilize paddles to propel a plastic ball over a net on a defined court, blending aspects of tennis, badminton, and table tennis
2. This activity is played on a court where players hit a perforated plastic ball with solid paddles, integrating elements from tennis and other racket sports
3. A racquet sport played with a perforated ball, combining elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, which involves up to four players on a designated court

Etymology: Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, by three fathers, Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum, who wanted something to entertain their families over a summer. The name is usually credited to Pritchard's wife, Joan, who was reminded of the "pickle boat" in rowing, the crew assembled from oarsmen left over after the other boats were filled. The game likewise began with leftover equipment: paddles, a net, and a ball borrowed from badminton, table tennis, and the Wiffle ball. The "pickle boat" name has a wry logic. Its crew was a mixed bag of whatever rowers remained, and the sport similarly stitched together the spare parts of other racket games. The word itself is a plain compound of "pickle" and "ball," so the story lies in the borrowed parts and the rowing reference rather than in any unusual etymology.