Why is '0' in tennis called love?

TabbyTom

Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable says that it’s probably derived from phrases like “to play for love” (i.e. to play a game for the love of playing it, and therefore for nothing in the way of stakes.) The Oxford English Dictionary seems to support this view. The word was used in English in card games like whist before it is recorded in connection with tennis. Some people like to think that “love” is a corruption of the French “l’oeuf” (“the egg”), because the figure zero looks like an egg. But so far as I know, nobody can produce an authentic use of “l’oeuf” in this sense in French. Nov 17 05, 2:25 PM

Flem-ish

As to the origins of "scoring terms" in tennis also see what the Lawn Tennis Association has to say about the subject at: http://www.lta.org.uk/InsideTheLta/History/OriginsOfScoring.htm I noticed that the Shorter Oxford Dictionary abstains from expressing any opinion on this topic. Personally I see no clear link between "playing for love" and scoring nil, and I don't think either of the explanations is well documented. Yet, that such visual comparisons are not impossible may be illustrated by the Dutch habit of calling a O-O score a "specs score" ("Bril-score".) When checking in the an older version of the Oxford Dictionary I noticed that already in 1780 the "Gentlemen's Magazine" described the origins of "love" in the meaning of "nil" as unknown. "We are not told how love came to mean nil." The explanations of (a) "to play for love" and (b) "love" = nil in tennis (love-set; love-game, etc.) are given in immediate succession, but as clearly separate usages of the word "love". Nov 17 05, 4:54 PM

TennisPlaza

An explanation of love is that the scoring system was copied from the game sphairistike, which was played by British officers in India during the 19th century. That game's scoring system was based on the different gun calibres of the British naval ships. When firing a salute, the ships first fired their 15-pound guns on the main deck, followed by the 30-pound guns of the middle deck, and finally by the 40-pound lower gun deck. http://www.ne.se/jsp/search/article.jsp?i_art_id=325842 Jun 03 08, 6:51 PM

jbooker8

Also, it can be traced to the 17th-century expression "play for love," meaning 'to play without any wager, for nothing'. It is this meaning of 'nothing' that love takes on when used in tennis--and in certain card games, as well as in the occasional British football commentary. The proper way to describe a score of zero to zero is to say love-all. http://sg.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070123151516AAJyr1p Jun 03 08, 8:05 PM

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Why is a tomato called a 'love apple'? Why is Philadelphia called " The City of Brotherly Love"? Why, in tennis, do they use such a confusing scoring system? Why is a score of zero in tennis called "love?" How about something less confusing, persay "zilch?"

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