badminton

[ bad-min-tn ]

noun

1. a game played on a rectangular court by two players or two pairs of players equipped with light rackets used to volley a shuttlecock over a high net that divides the court in half.

Badminton

¹

/ ˈbædmɪntən /

noun

1. a village in SW England, in South Gloucestershire unitary authority, Gloucestershire: site of Badminton House, seat of the Duke of Beaufort; annual horse trials

badminton

²

/ ˈbædmɪntən /

noun

1. a game played with rackets and a shuttlecock, which is hit back and forth across a high net
2. Also calledbadminton cup a long refreshing drink of claret with soda water and sugar

Word History and Origins

Origin of badminton¹

First recorded in 1835–45; named after Badminton, the country seat of the duke of Beaufort in Gloucestershire, England

Word History and Origins

Origin of badminton¹

C19: named after Badminton House, where the game was first played

Example Sentences

At least three Myanmar athletes—in badminton, judo and shooting—have qualified to compete in Tokyo.

From Time

Richard recalled playing badminton at the Boys Club in Southeast Washington.

From Washington Post

Players’ minds wander from basketball while they take up Wiffle ball, badminton, corn hole, soccer and football, with varying degrees of skill and seriousness.

From Washington Post

More generally, the badminton players’ self-talk focuses more on controlling worry and anxiety, and on procedural cues like “Concentrate” and “Relax.”

From Outside Online

The researchers wanted to figure out whether a computer could use machine learning to tell the difference between runners and badminton players based only on the content of their self-talk.

From Outside Online

His exposé of the sinister badminton scandal was an instant classic.

From The Daily Beast

I play badminton with a bunch of dachshunds yipping at my heels.

From The Daily Beast

As to why badminton is largely ignored, or even laughed, at in the US, Jiang threw the question right back.

From The Daily Beast

But this Olympics, badminton is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

From The Daily Beast

Over the last decade, the two countries have engaged in “wrestling diplomacy,” “soccer diplomacy,” even “badminton diplomacy.”

From The Daily Beast

His household at Badminton was regulated after the fashion of an earlier generation.

From Project Gutenberg

The same may be said of badminton, another favorite Lenten game, played somewhat after the manner of tennis.

From Project Gutenberg

The “Badminton Library,” an English series of books on sport, is at a huge premium already, when on “large paper.”

From Project Gutenberg

At first he fell into profound slumber: it was the inevitable result of the Badminton and the late hour.

From Project Gutenberg

The directions for playing them may be found in Billiards (Badminton Library series).

From Project Gutenberg

More About Badminton

What is badminton?

Badminton is a sport in which light rackets are used to volley an object—called a shuttlecock, shuttle, birdie, or bird—back and forth over a high net.

Unlike other similar sports, such as tennis, badminton is not played with a ball—the shuttlecock is a kind of feathered cone with a cork head. (A shuttlecock is also used in the related sport of battledore).

Competitive badminton, which is featured as an event in the Olympic Games, is played on an indoor court and can consist of one-on-one play or doubles. The rules of badminton are similar to those of other sports that use nets, like tennis and volleyball: if a player hits the shuttlecock out of bounds or lets it touch the ground on their side of the court, their opponent(s) get a point.

Badminton is also played recreationally, often as a casual yard game with multiplayer teams (less casual if Uncle Tahir is on your team).

Example: You’ll see some lightning-quick reflexes in Olympic-level badminton. 

Where does badminton come from?

The first records of the word badminton in reference to the game come from around the mid-1800s. It is named after an estate in Gloucestershire, England, called Badminton House (in the village of Badminton), which is the seat for the Duke of Beaufort and is supposedly the location where a modern version of the sport was first played.

But the origins of the sport that became badminton are much older, originating in ancient times as a game that became known as battledore and shuttlecock. Badminton was directly adapted from a related game named poona (after the Indian city of Poona) that originated in India. It was played there by British soldiers in the 1860s, including the Duke of Beaufort, who is believed to have brought the sport back to England, where the rules were altered and it began to grow in popularity. Today, the sport is most popular in parts of Europe and Asia.

Badminton was first included in the Olympics as a demonstration sport in 1972. A singles competition was officially adopted as a Summer Olympics event in 1992, and a doubles event was added in 1996.

Did you know … ?

What are some words that often get used in discussing badminton?

• shuttlecock
• birdie
• racket
• court
• net
• battledore

How is badminton used in real life?

Competitive badminton is an Olympic event and is most popular in parts of Asia and Europe. In the U.S., badminton is best known as a recreational yard game.

Off to Indonesia tomorrow!! Can't wait to get there & enjoy the amazing badminton fans in Indonesia!!always fun&great to play at the Istora!

— CHRIS ADCOCK (@ChrisAdcock1) May 30, 2015

Whoaaaaaa #mohammadahsan and hendrasetiawan did it!!! Awesome badminton…my heartiest congratulations to the team 😁😁

— Gutta Jwala (@Guttajwala) August 16, 2015

Am I too overly competitive during backyard badminton? Probably

— Christi (@christi_daigle) June 22, 2016

Try using badminton!

True or False?

In badminton, the object that’s volleyed back and forth over the net can be called a shuttlecock or a birdie.