sport
/spoːt/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.73 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any activity that uses physical exertion or skills competitively under a set of rules that is not based on aesthetics.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
Somebody who behaves or reacts in an admirably good-natured manner, e.g. to being teased or to losing a game; a good sport.
Countable
noun
A plant or an animal, or part of a plant or animal, which has some peculiarity not usually seen in the species; an abnormal variety or growth. The term encompasses both mutants and organisms with non-genetic developmental abnormalities such as birth defects.
Countable
Example Sentences
- "Basketball is her favorite sport, and she also enjoys various other sports as well."
- "Sport can be an excellent form of exercise because the competition and sense of achievement can help with both motivation and pleasure."
- "Jen may have won, but she was sure a poor sport; she laughed at the loser."
- "The loser was a good sport, and congratulated Jen on her performance."
- "You're such a sport! You never get upset when we tease you."
- "Think it but a minute spent in sport."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ▲ Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu. Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- Proto-Italic *dis- Latin dis- Old French des- Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *-téh₂ Proto-Indo-European *pr̥téh₂ Proto-Italic *portā Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Proto-Italic *portāō Latin portāre Old French porter Anglo-Norman desporterbor. Middle English disporten Middle English sporten English sport From Middle English sporten (“to divert, disport”, verb) and sport, spoort, sporte (noun), apheretic shortenings of disporten (verb) and disport, disporte (noun), from Old French desporter (“to divert, amuse, please, play; to seek amusement”), etymologically meaning "to carry away (the mind from serious matters)," from des- + porter, from Latin dis- + Latin portāre, ultimately from Latin deportāre, from de- + portāre, from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to lead, pass over”)). Replaced native English laik, lake (“sport, fun, amusement”), and Middle English spile, spyl (“fun, sport, play”). More at disport. Doublet of disport and deport.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /spoːt/
- British English: /spɔːt/