Word of the Day

: December 11, 2012

disport

verb dih-SPORT

What It Means

1 : divert, amuse

2 : frolic

3 : display

disport in Context

"Dracula builds a five-stake resort for his monster friends to disport themselves unbothered on vacation, but his daughter falls in love with a somewhat dopey human." - From a review of the movie Hotel Transylvania by Jeff Simon, Buffalo News (New York), September 28, 2012

"A hulking, forbidding terrace, unlike anything else in town, rears up out of nowhere. In its heyday, it was the home of the wealthy with cast iron balconies for them to disport themselves on." - From an article by Chris Lloyd, The Northern Echo (England), October 24, 2012

Did You Know?

Geoffrey Chaucer was one of the first writers to amuse the reading public with the verb "disport." Chaucer and his contemporaries carried the word into English from Anglo-French, adapting it from "desporter," meaning "to carry away, comfort, or entertain." The word can ultimately be traced back to the Latin verb "portare," meaning "to carry." "Deport," "portable," and "transport" are among the members of the "portare" family.