rack·et 1 also rac·quet 
(răkĭt)
(răkĭt)n.
1. A device consisting of an oval or circular frame with a tight interlaced network of strings and a handle, used to strike a ball or shuttlecock in various games.
2. A wooden paddle, as one used in table tennis.
3. A snowshoe.
[Middle English raket, a kind of handball, from Old French rachette, palm of the hand, racket, from Medieval Latin rascheta, palm, from Arabic rāḥat (al-yad), palm (of the hand), bound form of rāḥa; see rḥ in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]
racket1top: tennis and racquetball rackets
bottom: squash racket