Where does “sportsmanship” come from?
Sportsmanship derives from English sportsman, formed from English sport and English man with the English possessive suffix -'s, with sport itself of uncertain origin.
sportsmanship (English): The behaviour exhibited in playing sports, either...
Definitions
- The behaviour exhibited in playing sports, either...
Ancestry of “sportsmanship”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sports | plural of sport; Third-person singular simple... |
| 2 | English | sport | Any activity that uses physical exertion or... |
| 3 | Middle English | sport | — |
| 4 | Middle English | disport | — |
| 5 | Old French | desport | Alternative form of deport |
| 6 | Old French | deport | enjoyment; fun |
| 7 | Latin | deportō | to bring or convey |
| 8 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 9 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 10 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 11 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 12 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |