Why is zero called “love” in tennis?
Although the theory is often heard that it represents the French word l’oeuf an ‘egg’ (from the resembance between an egg and a nought) this seems unlikely. The term “love” is said to come from the English phrase “neither for love nor for money”, indicating nothing. (Taken from the book entitled The Guinness Book of Tennis Facts & Feats and Fifteen Love). Also, it can be traced to the 17th-century expression “play for love,” meaning ‘to play without any wager, for nothing’. It is this meaning of ‘nothing’ that love takes on when used in tennis–and in certain card games, as well as in the occasional British football commentary . The proper way to describe a score of zero to zero is to say love-all.
