Etymology Dictionary

BANDY,  to beat to and fro, to contend.  (F.,—G.)   Shak. has bandy, to contend, Tit. And. i. 312; but the older sense is to beat to and fro, as in Romeo, ii. 5. 14.   It was a term used at tennis, and was formerly also spelt band, as in 'To band the ball;' G. Turbervile, To his Friend P., Of Courting and Tenys.   The only difficulty is to account for the final -y; I suspect it to be a corruption of the F. bander (or bandé), the F. word being taken as a whole, instead of being shortened by dropping -er in the usual manner.—F. 'bander, to bind, fasten with strings; also, to bandie, at tennis;' Cotgrave.   He also gives:  'Iouer à bander et à racler contre, to bandy against, at tennis; and, by metaphor, to pursue with all insolence, rigour, extremity.'   Also:  'Se bander contre, to bandie or oppose himselfe against, with his whole power; or to joine in league with others against.'   Also:  'Ils se bandent à faire un entreprise, they are plot[t]ing a conspiracie together.'   B. The word is therefore the same as that which appears as band, in the phrase 'to band together.'   The F. bander is derived from the G. band, a band, a tie, and also includes the sense of G. bande, a crew, a gang; and these are from G. binden, cognate with E. bind.   See Bind.