Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A sport played by volleying a shuttlecock back and forth over a high narrow net by means of a light, long-handled racket.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An English outdoor game, similar to lawn-tennis, but played with shuttlecocks.
  • noun A summer beverage, properly a claret-cup made with soda-water instead of plain water and flavored with cucumber.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A game, similar to lawn tennis, played with shuttlecocks.
  • noun A preparation of claret, spiced and sweetened.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A racquet sport played indoors on a court by two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs of players (doubles), in which a shuttlecock is volleyed over a net and the competitions are presided by an umpire in British English and a referee in American English.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a game played on a court with light long-handled rackets used to volley a shuttlecock over a net

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[After Badminton, the Duke of Beaufort's country seat in western England.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Named after Badminton House, an estate in Gloucestershire owned by the Duke of Beaufort, where the game was first played in England.

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Examples

  • Families gardened and used their backyards more (the 1930s saw a renaissance in badminton); in the evenings they gathered around the radio, worked on jigsaw puzzles (another 1930s craze), played cards and, of course, Monopoly (an irony-heavy product of the Depression).

    Life In (and After) Our Great Recession 2009

  • "My father said, 'Join badminton — if you like it, continue,'" she says.

    India's Sporting Hopes Rest on Stars Like Saina Geeta Anand 2010

  • Families gardened and used their backyards more (the 1930s saw a renaissance in badminton); in the evenings they gathered around the radio, worked on jigsaw puzzles (another 1930s craze), played cards and, of course, Monopoly (an irony-heavy product of the Depression).

    Life In (and After) Our Great Recession 2009

  • Korea's Hwang Jiman after winning the bronze medal in badminton with Lee Jaejin, who appears to be on the bubble.

    Olympic voices sum up Games 2008

  • Medals race impact: China figures to add significantly to its gold and overall medal haul in badminton, especially on the women's side.

    2008 Olympic medal projections 2008

  • The U.S. has not had much success in badminton over the past few decades.

    USATODAY.com - Athletes of the Week smash barriers and birdies 2005

  • ATHENS (AP) Zhang Ning of China won the gold medal in badminton Thursday, beating Indonesian-born Mia Audina of the Netherlands 8-11, 11-6, 11-7.

    USATODAY.com - China good for badminton gold 2004

  • China shines in badminton Jiewen-Wei top countrywomen for win; S. Korea takes bronze.

    USATODAY.com 2004

  • Praneet's upset of Viktor Axelsen had been the highlight, for Axelsen is considered the next big name in Danish badminton after Jan O Jorgensen.

    Analysis 2010

  • One can easily accept that the game of badminton is fun to play, but doubts if it’s worth playing!

    Generation Playing | SciFi, Fantasy & Horror Collectibles 2009

Comments

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  • Pronounced, "băd' mĭn tĭn."

    December 12, 2006

  • I hear it more often as "bad mitten".

    December 12, 2006

  • This is true. I wasn't trying to be a pronunciation prescriptivist, though, or a wordanista.

    I just like the word, but only when it's pronounced "badmintin."

    December 12, 2006

  • Oh, I agree, much better pronounciation, I wasn't suggesting otherwise, just noting.

    December 12, 2006

  • I must move in more earthy circles, as I've never once heard it pronounced "bad min ton" except in jest. Cool word, though.

    February 23, 2007

  • Bad mitten! Bad mitten! Go to your room, mitten!

    August 4, 2007

  • And here I was, blaming the three little kittens.

    August 6, 2007

  • Horse Trials

    December 13, 2008