▪ I. disport, n. arch.
(dɪˈspɔət)
Also 4–5 des-, 5 dys-.
[a. AF. disport, OF. desport, commonly deport ‘disport, sport, pastime, recreation, pleasure’ (Cotgr.), f. desporter: see next. For sense 5, cf. deport n.]
1. Diversion from serious duties; relaxation, recreation; entertainment, amusement. arch.
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 4110 And come to hym on hys dysport To make Florens gode cumfort. 1375 Barbour Bruce iii. 586 Wes nane that euir disport mycht have Fra steryng, and fra rowyng. c 1386 Chaucer Man of Law's T. 45 To Rome for to wende, Were it for chapmanhode or for disport. ― Merch. T. 680 Dooth hym disport, he is a gentil man. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xxii. 242 He takeþ his desport passing be the contree. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 433 b/1 Prayed..that she myght haue..hir suster wyth hir for hir dysporte, comforte and companye. 1502 Priv. Purse Exp. Eliz. of York (1830) 84 Item to the Quenes grace..for hure disporte at cardes this Crismas..C s. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1621) 30 One day for his disport, hunting of the wild boare. 1728 Pope Dunc. ii. Argt., The Goddess is first pleased for her disport to propose games to the Booksellers. 1820 Scott Ivanhoe xvii, I would find myself both disport and plenty out of the King's deer. 1881 Rossetti Ball. & Sonn. 117 The King and all his Court Were met..for solace and disport. |
2. Anything which affords diversion and entertainment; a pastime, game, sport. arch.
| c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 2217 Tel me furst by þy lay; wat doþ ȝour men of fraunce; Of hure disport & ek hure play. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) iii. 17 A fair place for justynges or for other Pleyes and desportes. 1576 Fleming Caius' Eng. Dogs ii. in Arb. Garner III. 246 Dogs serving the disport of Fowling. 1604 Shakes. Oth. i. iii. 272 That my Disports corrupt, and taint my businesse. 1654 Gataker Disc. Apol. 20 Libertie, for some Disports that might be used on the Sabbath. 1690 E. Gee Jesuit's Mem. 126 Some honest kind of Disports. 1861 Our Eng. Home 21 The display of those pageants and disports which enlivened the repast. |
† 3. Merriment, mirth, fun. Obs.
| c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 138 Sikerly she was of greet desport, And ful plesaunt, and amyable of port. 1659 Heylin Animadv. in Fuller's Appeal (1840) 321 It was..a matter of no mean disport amongst the people for a long time after. 1720 Gay Poems (1745) I. 117 They..in disport surround the drunken wight. 1801 Strutt Sports & Past. iii. vi. 220 To the great amusement and disport of the polite spectators. |
† 4. The making sport of. Obs. rare.
| 1667 Waterhouse Fire Lond. 159 King Sesostrio..caused four captive Kings to draw his Coach..he prided his inconstant Fortune, in the desport of their Vassalage. |
† 5. Bearing, carriage, deportment. Obs. rare.
| 1761 Sterne Tr. Shandy IV. xxii, I carried myself..in such fanciful guise of careless disport, that right sore am I ashamed now. |
▪ II. disport, v.
(dɪˈspɔət)
Forms: 4–5 desporte, 5–6 dys-, 5– dis-.
[a. AF. desporter (Bozon), OF. desporter, depporter, usually deporter, to divert, amuse, please (Godef.); refl. ‘to cease, forbeare, leaue off, giue ouer: also to disport, play, recreate himselfe, passe away the time’ (Cotgr.); f. des-, dis- 1 + porter:—L. portāre to carry, bear. For the sense ‘divert, amuse’, cf. the similar development of F. divertir, déduire, the notion being that of turning, leading, or carrying away the attention from serious or sad occupations.]
† 1. trans. To divert (from sadness, ennui, or the like); to amuse, to entertain. Obs.
| c 1374 Chaucer Troylus iv. 696 (724) Þey gonnen here comforten..And with here tales wenden here disporten. 1393 Gower Conf. I. 75 Tho was þis wofull wif conforted Be alle weies and desported. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems 15 Pip[in]s, quinces, blaunderelle to disport, And the pomecedre corageos to recomfort. 1638 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (ed. 2) 275 Hee forces Barames to weare womens apparell, and with a Distaffe in's hand to disport the insulting multitude. 1665 Ibid. (1677) 12 Well I remember that all the way we sail'd..we were disported by Whales. |
2. refl. to disport oneself: to cheer, divert, amuse, or enjoy oneself; to occupy oneself pleasurably; now esp. to play wantonly, frolic, gambol, sport; to display oneself sportively.
| c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 1441 Hipsiph. & Medea (Camb. MS.), To saylyn to that lond hym to disporte. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxxiv. 154 Þare in will he sitt..for to disporte him and take þe aer. 1530 Palsgr. 521/1 Go disporte you with them, they be good felowes. 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, iv. v. 8 He hath..attended with weake guard, Come hunting this way to disport himselfe. a 1649 Drummond of Hawthornden Hist. Jas. V Wks. (1711) 104 Whilst he disported himself at the court of France. 1742 Warburton Comm. Pope's Ess. Man Wks. 1811 XI. 142 After having disported himself at will, in the flowery paths of fancy. 1879 Beerbohm Patagonia 9 Seabirds were disporting themselves in the water. 1887 Bowen Virg. Eclog. vi. 2 My Muse in Sicilian measure was well Pleased to disport her. |
3. intr. (for refl.) = prec.
| 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxliii. (1482) 287 The emperour..come in to englond to kyng Henry with hym to speke and to disporte. 1591 Spenser Daphn. 118, I her caught disporting on the greene. 1600 J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa ii. 157 Every man runs to the taverne to disport..and to bee drunken. 1712–14 Pope Rape Lock ii. 66 Where light disports in ever-mingling dyes. 1809 Campbell Gertr. Wyom. i. iii, The flamingo..disporting like a meteor on the lakes. 1847 J. Wilson Chr. North (1857) II. 21 See the cubs disporting at the mouth of the briery aperture. |
† 4. ? To deport oneself. Obs. rare.
| c 1450 Lonelich Grail xxxvi. 281 At themperours table Iset he was, and there disported hym al that day As a man that In letargye lay. |
† 5. trans. ? To divert, or turn away. Obs. rare.
| 1450 Paston Lett. No. 122. I. 163 The day of oier and termyner shall holde at Norwich on Moneday next comyng, and by that cause my Lord of Oxenford shall be disported of his comyng to the Parlement. |