Wicket

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈwɪkɪt/

Definitions

1. A framework of wooden sticks set upright in the ground as a target in the game of croquet, or in cricket, the set of three vertical stubs with a crossbar that the batter defends
2. A term describing a set of vertical posts with a horizontal beam used in cricket, or a similar structure in croquet serving as a target
3. It refers to the arrangement of stumps defended by a batter in cricket, or a target structure in croquet games

Etymology: The cricket stumps and the wicket that a batter defends are one of the few English words whose root meaning is about movement, not timber. The source word is Old Norse "víkjask", a reflexive form meaning "to move oneself" or "to yield, turn", from a Proto-Germanic root for bending and turning. It came into Middle English as "wiket", a small gate or door, most likely through Anglo-Norman and Old Northern French, and the sense of a movable, swinging opening is the thread that links it to everything that follows. The French "guichet", meaning a ticket window or small hatch, comes from the same Norse source, so English "wicket" and French "guichet" are cousins that took the same idea of a small swinging opening in different directions. Croquet and cricket later borrowed the word for their targets. The connection is less obvious than it looks: a croquet hoop and a cricket stump bear no resemblance to a gate, but both were named after the small opening they stood in for.

Synonyms: gate, door, barrier