from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Inning \In"ning\, n. [AS. innung, fr. in in, prep. & adv.]
1. Ingathering; harvesting. [Obs.] --Holland.
[1913 Webster]
2. The state or turn of being in; specifically, in cricket,
baseball, etc., each period during which both teams get
one turn each at bat; as, in baseball there are nine
innings to a complete game; -- often in the pl. Hence: The
turn or time of a person, or a party, in power; as, the
Whigs went out, and the Democrats had their innings.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
3. pl. Lands recovered from the sea. --Ainsworth.
[1913 Webster]