Question
Ping is a common diagnostic tool in networking technology. It is essentially an echo request to confirm an IP address is up and accessible. Where does the term ping come from?
Answer
The acronym for "packet inter-network groper" seems like it is a backronym for the trademarked table tennis game which involves a lightweight ball being returned in the opposite direction that it was sent. It seems that the history was based on one half of the ping-pong game (where a ball is returned after it is sent). According to TechTarget however, the ping command's etymology is onomatopoeic and based on submarine technology. See this TechTarget page for more information.