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Added 6 October 2026

volleyball

/ˈvɒlibɔ(ː)l/ noun

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about volleyball at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A game played on a rectangular court between two teams of two to six players which involves striking a ball back and forth over a net.
The inflated ball used in such a game.

Origin

From volley + ball. In 1895, in Holyoke, Massachusetts, William G. Morgan created a new game called Mintonette, a name derived from the game of badminton. After an observer, Alfred Halstead, noticed the volleying nature of the game at its first exhibition match in 1896, played at the International YMCA Training School (now called Springfield College), the game quickly became known as volleyball (it was originally spelled as two words: "volley ball")

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

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