tenpins
tenpins Lexical Profile
tenpins Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American The standard game of bowling played on a wooden or synthetic lane using a heavy ball and ten bottle-shaped pins arranged in a triangle; tenpin bowling.
"Every Friday night, the neighborhood league gathers at the local alley for a friendly tournament of tenpins."
Plural form of tenpin; the bottle-shaped wooden or plastic-coated pins used as targets in tenpin bowling.
"The automated pinsetter swept away the fallen tenpins and reset a fresh rack for the next frame."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the bowling game itself, "tenpins" is plural in form but takes a singular verb (e.g., "Tenpins is a popular indoor sport").
Word Origin & Etymology
Originated in the 19th-century United States as a compound of "ten" and "pins," allegedly developed by adding a tenth pin in a triangular formation to circumvent local laws that banned traditional ninepins due to gambling.