FOUL LINE Meaning and
Definition
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The term "foul line" is primarily used in the context of sports, particularly in baseball, softball, and basketball. In baseball and softball, the foul line refers to the pair of white lines that extend perpendicularly from home plate to the outfield walls, dividing the infield from the foul territory. The foul line dictates the boundaries within which a hit ball is considered fair or foul. A fair ball is one hit within the field of play, while a foul ball is one that lands or rolls outside of the foul lines. When a batter hits a ball that crosses over or lands beyond the foul line, the pitch is considered a foul ball, resulting in a strike against the batter or an out, depending on the specific rules of the game.
In basketball, the foul line has a different significance. It refers to the free-throw line, a line located 15 feet away from the backboard and parallel to it. This line demarcates the place from which players must shoot free throws after a foul has been committed by their opponents. When a player is fouled during the course of play, they are granted the opportunity to shoot from the foul line uncontested in order to score points without any resistance from the opposing team.
Overall, the foul line acts as a boundary that distinguishes between fair and foul play, regulating specific actions and gameplay in various sports.
Common Misspellings for FOUL LINE
- doul line
- coul line
- voul line
- goul line
- toul line
- roul line
- fiul line
- fkul line
- flul line
- fpul line
- f0ul line
- f9ul line
- foyl line
- fohl line
- fojl line
- foil line
- fo8l line
- fo7l line
- fouk line
Etymology of FOUL LINE
The word "foul line" in the context of sports, particularly baseball and basketball, refers to a boundary line that determines whether a play is considered "fair" or "foul". The etymology of "foul line" can be traced back to the Old English word "fúl", meaning "dirty" or "impure". This term evolved in Middle English to "foul", which came to represent something that is not in accordance with the rules or standards. The word "line" itself has origins in Old English "līne", meaning "cord" or "rope", which eventually extended to denote a boundary or marker. The combination of "foul" and "line" ultimately gave rise to the term "foul line" as a demarcation of the area beyond which a play is considered illegitimate or undesirable.
Similar spelling words for FOUL LINE
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