Having the characteristics of sports; energetic, athletic, or casual in style. Also describes someone who enjoys or is good at sports.
From 'sport' plus the suffix '-y'. 'Sport' comes from Old French 'desport' meaning 'leisure, pleasure', derived from Latin 'deportare' (to carry away). The athletic meaning developed in the 16th century from the idea of pleasant diversions.
The word sport originally meant any pleasurable pastime or diversion - including things like courtly entertainment and games of chance! It's fascinating how a word that once described aristocratic leisure activities evolved to represent the athletic competition and casual style we associate with 'sporty' today.
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