ENGLISH
REFERENCE

volleyball

n. uncountable
A2 Elementary US //ˈvɑɫiˌbɔɫ// UK //vˈɒlɪbˌɔːl// vol·ley·ball

n. a team sport where players use their hands to hit a ball over a high net. The goal is to make the ball touch the ground on the other team's side.

n. a team sport played on a court divided by a high net, in which players use their hands or arms to hit a ball back and forth. Points are scored by grounding the ball on the opponent's side of the court.


SIMPLE

We play volleyball on the beach every summer.

CONTEXTUAL

The school team practiced volleyball every afternoon to prepare for the regional tournament next month.

COMPLEX

Professional volleyball requires exceptional vertical leap and precise hand-eye coordination, especially during the high-speed spikes and blocks that define the modern competitive 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")

Usage

Uncountable when referring to the sport itself; countable when referring to the physical ball used in the game.

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