A sports implement with a handle and a frame strung with cord, used to hit a ball in games like tennis; loud, unpleasant noise.
From Arabic rāḥat al-yad meaning 'palm of the hand,' referring to an early form of handball. The term entered Old French as raquette, describing the paddle-like implement used in early ball games. English borrowed it from French in the 16th century, initially for the sports equipment, with the 'noise' meaning developing later from the sound of the game.
Tennis rackets got their name from Arabic for 'palm of the hand' because the first versions were just paddle-like extensions of players' hands! The 'loud noise' meaning came later because early racket sports were apparently quite noisy affairs.
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