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Added 30 September 2026

football

/ˈfʊt.bɔːl/ noun

In Latin: pedilūdium Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about football at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal.
The inflated oblong ball used in playing American football.

Origin

From Middle English fotbal, footbal, equivalent to foot + ball, because the ball was primarily manipulated with the feet in early versions of the game (though some modern varieties involve more handling than kicking). The name for the briefcase is a play on “dropkick”, the code name of an early version of the nuclear war plan.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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