Speaking of sports, the word sport was
formed as an abbreviated form of disport. It
first appears in a Middle English romance called Ipomadon in about
1440, 150 years before Shakespeare.
Disport derives from
Anglo Norman desporter "to carry away" or, metaphorically, "to
divert, entertain", formed from des "apart" and porter "carry". The
word originally referred to "amusement". It did not gain its modern use until the 19th century.