a game played on a handball court following the same basic rules as handball, but in which players use short-handled, perforated paddles to hit a ball resembling a tennis ball
Word origin
[1930–35, Amer.; paddle1 + ball1]This word is first recorded in the period 1930–35. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: acoustic phonetics, old school tie, preset, technical foul, video