n. 1. A series of contests in which a number of contestants compete and the one that prevails through the final round or that finishes with the best record is declared the winner. 2. A medieval martial sport in which two groups of mounted and armored combatants fought against each other with blunted lances or swords. [Middle English tournement, a medieval sport, from Old French torneiement, from torneier, to tourney; see TOURNEY.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.