sportsmanship

Etymology

It is formed from English sportsman + -ship,^[1][2][3] and sportsman, recorded from 1706, is formed from the genitive of sport and man.^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Skill in field sports: 1745 in Etymonline and Merriam-Webster Unabridged.^[2][4] The OED's first record, for the practice or skill of a sportsman, is from Fielding's Tom Jones (1749).^[1]

Semantic evolution

A sportsman was first a man who hunted or shot for pleasure,^[2] and sportsmanship at first meant his skill in such sports.^[2][4] By 1826 it also meant conduct worthy of a sportsman,^[2] and the OED notes that this is now the main sense;^[1] Merriam-Webster Unabridged marks the sense of skill as archaic.^[4] The modern sense centres on fair and honest competition, courtesy to opponents, and grace in winning or losing.^[4][5]

Timeline

• 1745 – skill in field sports.^[2][4] The OED's first record is from 1749.^[1]
• 1826 – conduct worthy of a sportsman.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. Fair and generous behaviour in sport or competition, including respect for opponents and grace in winning or losing: Shaking hands after the final was a fine show of sportsmanship.^[4][5][1]
2. Taking part in sports or a sport.^[5]
3. (archaic) Skill in a sport, or a skilful performance in one.^[4][1]

Related words

• sportsman
• sport
• sportswoman

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
4. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin