badminton [M19th] The game probably gets its name from the place in south west England which was the country seat of the Duke of Beaufort. Forms of the game had long existed, and were generally known as battledore and shuttlecock [E16th] (the first from the same root as *bat, the second, originally ‘shuttle-cork’, from *shuttle and cork). A more competitive version of the old game was brought back by army officers from India in the 19th century and became a popular game in English country houses.