Why is tennis scored called love

But when did that first love get put in the "nothing" box? Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Log in Sign Up. Keep scoring points. What to Know In tennis, love is a word that represents a score of zero, and has been used as such since the late s. More Words At Play.

Merriam-Webster's Words of the Week - Oct. Time Traveler. Love words? Need even more definitions? Ask the Editors 'Everyday' vs. What Is 'Semantic Bleaching'? How 'literally' can mean "figuratively". Literally How to use a word that literally drives some pe Trying to clear the score of three-love is also an appropriate answer.

When setting up a new game, the starting score is either or love-all. However, players frequently do not record scores for games that are already underway. Instead, the score in games at the end of each set will be revealed. Therefore, players never use the score of love-all in the West-side. This relation is highly questionable, and its plausibility may be questioned.

But, all of these theories are on board with one another. Yes, this seems impossible. The principle here is that if a person is playing because they are enjoying it. Then they are less likely to be compensated for their efforts. To not just play for pennies.

In tennis, Love i. At every tennis match, each service is split up into two to three sets. When you win a set, you must win six games. The games are scored by zero through four, but the scores go from zero to forty. From Love, the beginning is 15 points, then 30 points, then 40 points, then the game stage, which wins the game.

What's the deal with tennis scoring? Here are a few of them, along with input from sportscaster and former tennis pro Mary Carillo pictured above with Rafael Nadal after his win in last night's U.

Open men's final. There are three possibilities. First is the theory that, back in the pre-Revolution days, the plus jeu de paume courts in French were 90 feet total, 45 per side. Upon scoring, the server got to move up 15 feet.