dedans
Americannoun
plural
dedans-
a netted winning opening of rectangular shape at the service side of the court.
-
the body of spectators behind this opening at a court-tennis match.
noun
Etymology
Origin of dedans
1700–10; < French: (the) inside, Middle French (adv. and preposition), Old French dedenz, equivalent to de of (< Latin dē ) + denz in (< Late Latin deintus, equivalent to Latin dē- de- + intus inside (adv.))
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was difficult to see with the naked eye, of course, but my sensors told me that the ball had struck the dedans within 3 or 4 microns.
From Slate • Aug. 27, 2018
Instead, perhaps the Association should have questioned the probability of him hitting the dedans at that very moment, which was quite unlikely and might have raised concerns that someone had manipulated its movement intentionally.
From Slate • Aug. 27, 2018
Any ball that hits the dedans instantly ends not just the point, but the entire match.
From Slate • Aug. 27, 2018
Courts are 110 ft. long, 38 ft. wide, with a net-covered recess behind the server's court called a dedans, in which the spectators sit.
From Time Magazine Archive
“Sire, ains que ie entre dedans vostre ost, faictes moi parler aux deux plus preudhommes que vous ayez et esquelz vous fiez le plus.”
From Lancelot of the Laik A Scottish Metrical Romance by Skeat, Walter W. (Walter William)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
