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Glite Dictionary
wicketkeeper

wicketkeeper

7.0
A player who stands behind the batter to catch the ball and try to get them out
  • noun
  • /ˈwɪkɪtˌkiːpər/
  • Jargon
translation icon : guardameta
  • The wicketkeeper skillfully caught the ball that the batsman had hit, preventing a run.

Examples

  • Our wicketkeeper's sister's getting married, then it's "Gerald, Gerald, Gerald," every other word.

    I Capture the Castle (2003)

  • As the wicketkeeper, she needed to be alert to catch the fast balls coming her way.

  • During the match, the wicketkeeper made a surprising dive to dismiss the batsman with a quick stumping.

Synonyms

wicket-keeper
vswicketkeeper
  • Jargon
8.3

A player who stands behind the batter to catch missed balls and try to get them out

means the same but is written without a hyphen

Surface Forms

wicketkeeper singular
wicketkeepers plural

Morphology

wicketkeeper = wicket + keeper (transparent) = wicket + keeper

The compound is a straightforward combination: 'keeper' of the 'wicket' (i.e., the player who guards the wicket); if the learner knows both components the meaning is directly deducible.

Etymology

Wicketkeeper comes from wicket, an old word for a 'small gate' that was the target in early cricket, and keeper, someone who 'guards' things. So a wicketkeeper is the player who stands behind the stumps to guard the wicket, much like a goalkeeper guards a goal.