Quidditch

Meaning

Noun

• A fictional ball game played between two teams of seven players riding flying broomsticks, using four balls and six elevated ring-shaped goals.

Origin

• Coined by J. K. Rowling in her 1997 book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. In Quidditch Through the Ages, Rowling provides some etymological information, hinting that the word evolved from Queerditch (compound of queer + ditch), with some spelling variation as would be expected in real life Middle English, namely Kwidditch, Kweerditch.