ten·nis 
(tĕnĭs)
(tĕnĭs)n.
1. A game played with rackets and a light ball by two players or two pairs of players on a rectangular court divided by a net. The players must hit the ball over the net and into a marked area on the other side for play to continue. Also called lawn tennis.
2. Court tennis.
[Middle English tenetz, tenyes, court tennis, from Anglo-Norman tenetz and Old French tenez, pl. imperative of tenir, to hold, from Latin tenēre; see DETAIN.]