ETYM French la crosse, lit., the crosier, hooked stick. Related to Crosier.
A game invented by American indians; now played by two teams who use long-handled rackets to catch and carry and throw the ball toward the opponents' goal.
Canadian ball game, adopted from the Native Americans, and named for a fancied resemblance of the lacrosse stick (crosse) to a bishop's crosier. Thongs across the curved end of the crosse form a pocket to carry the small rubber ball.
The field is approximately 100 m/110 yd long and a minimum of 55 m/60 yd wide in the men's game, which is played with 10 players per side; the women's field is larger, and there are 12 players per side. The goals are just under 2 m/6 ft square, with loose nets. The world championship was first held in 1967 for men, and in 1969 for women.