Origin: Latin suffix -ment
Tournament has 3 different meanings across 1 category:
a sporting competition in which contestants play a series of games to decide the winner
"The tennis tournament will feature sixty-four players competing in a knockout format until only one champion remains."
a series of jousts between knights contesting for a prize
"The local lord hosted an elaborate tournament where every knight competed in a series of jousts to win the golden cup."
During the Middle Ages, a series of battles and other contests designed to prepare knights for war.
"The young squire spent his entire adolescence training at the local tournament to master swordplay before joining the army."
In plain English: A tournament is a competition where many people or teams play against each other until only one winner remains.
"The basketball tournament will be held in the city gym this weekend."
Usage: A tournament refers to a modern competition where participants compete in successive rounds until one winner is determined. Do not confuse this with historical knightly jousts or single matches; it specifically implies an organized event involving multiple competitors across several stages.
The word tournament comes from the Old French term tornoiement, which was derived from the verb tornoier. Originally, it referred to a turning or revolving motion before taking on its modern meaning of a competitive event.