Tourneys

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A series of sporting contests or competitions where participants engage in battles of skill in various disciplines
2. An event characterized by multiple games or matches, often held in a structured format to determine a champion
3. Gatherings or tournaments where teams or individuals compete against one another in organized formats, typically for awards or titles

Etymology: "Tourneys" is the plural of "tourney", a word that once meant a mounted contest of armoured knights and now more loosely means any competition. The noun came into English from Anglo-Norman "turnei", which was borrowed from Old French "tornei", meaning "tournament". Behind that lies the Old French verb "tornoier", "to joust or tilt", so the word's original sense is the physical clash of horsemen rather than the organised sport it later described. The shift from combat to competition happened gradually, as the armoured jousting of the Middle Ages gave way to contests that were staged for display and prize rather than for battle practice. The plural simply follows the usual English pattern, so "tourneys" refers to several such events, now applied to sporting contests of many kinds.

Synonyms: tournaments