Wimbledon and "Love"

Question

Hello All,I would like to ask a question about the word LOVE which is used in the scores in the Wimbledon tournament, e.g. 'FIFTEEN - LOVE'.I heard the explanation that the origin of this neaning of the word 'love' refers to the shape of an egg: &gt; 0 = zero. It seems to come from French: "the egg" in French is " l'oeuf ", which sounds like "love".Is this correct?And if so: why was this originally French word introduced into an originally British sport?And also in connection with tennis: Is the term "DEUCE" connected with the French word "DEUX"?Arthur

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Hello All, I would like to ask a question about the word LOVE which is used in the scores in ... like "love". Is this correct? And if so: why was this originally French word introduced into an originally British sport?[/nq]
Why do you think it's originally a British sport?
According to http://tennis.about.com/od/history/a/earlyhistory.htm it's probably of medieval French origin.
Lawn tennis, on the other hand, is of relatively recent origin - 1873 - and it is British. See here
[nq:1]And also in connection with tennis: Is the term "DEUCE" connected with the French word "DEUX"?[/nq]
Yes - it means either side have to win two games in a row to win the set.

A simple Google search for the terms "tennis2 and "origins" would have found you those links and many others in a fraction of a second.

Regards, Einde O'Callaghan

Usenet · Answer

Thank you for your answer and thank you for the 'google' hint as well!

Regards, Arthur

Wimbledon and "Love"

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