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1. terinj+(OP)[view] [source] 2021-12-30 08:55:15
The dictionary I use goes with:

• arctic: Designating the celestial north pole, and the Pole Star that marks its position in the sky.

• sport: Diversion, entertainment, fun.

• magic: The use of ritual activities or observances which are intended to influence the course of events or to manipulate the natural world, usually involving the use of an occult or secret body of knowledge;

• example: A person's conduct, practice, etc., regarded as an object of imitation or as an influence on the behaviour of others

While not as expressive as Webster's, I was surprised by their color compared to the facsimiles given of other modern dictionaries.

replies(2): >>kangal+c9 >>gjm11+Tr
2. kangal+c9[view] [source] 2021-12-30 10:35:51
>>terinj+(OP)
Those definitions are pretty but incomplete, right? It totally excludes the physical meaning of sport, and it forgets that an "example" doesn't need to come from a person
replies(1): >>terinj+mu1
3. gjm11+Tr[view] [source] 2021-12-30 13:56:55
>>terinj+(OP)
It seems a pity for a definition of "arctic" not to mention the connection with bears. (Greek arktos means "bear". The Arctic is the north because the constellation called the Great Bear, or Ursa Major, is in the north, and one of its stars is pretty much right over the north pole.)

Just to give some idea of what a more comprehensive dictionary might offer, here's the definition of "sport" from the Chambers Dictionary (1991; I really must buy a newer edition...), one of the most thorough single-volume UK-English dictionaries, for "sport":

sport, v.i. to play (arch.): to frolic (also v.t. with it; arch.): to make merry: to practise field diversions: to trifle: to deviate from the normal. -- v.t. to amuse (obs.): to wear, use, exhibit, set up, publicly or ostentatiously: to wager: to squander (rare): to force open (obs). -- n. recreation: pastime: dalliance, amorous behaviour: play: a game, esp. one involving bodily exercise: mirth: jest: contemptuous mirth: a plaything (esp. fig.): a laughing-stock: field diversion: success or gratification in shooting, fishing, or the like: a sportsman: a person of sportsmanlike character, a good fellow: an animal or plant that varies singularly and spontaneously from the normal type: (in pl.) a meeting for races and the like.

Here's the Shorter Oxford (two volumes, a bit less concerned than Chambers with cramming in as many words and senses as possible, hence less terse; more concerned with showing the historical development of the language, hence things like M18 meaning "first found in the middle 18th century"):

1 a Diversion, entertainment, fun; an activity providing this, a pastime. LME. b Lovemaking, esp. sexual intercourse, viewed as a game. M16-L18. c A theatrical performance; a show, a play. Only in L16. 2 a A matter providing amusement or entertainment; a joke. arch. LME. b Jesting, joking; merriment. arch. L16. 3 a An activity involving physical exertion and skill, esp. one in which an individual competes against another or others to achieve the best performance. Later also, participation in such activities; such activities collectively. E16. b In pl. A meeting consisting of various athletic and occas. other sporting contests. See also sports day below. L16. c The recreation of hunting, shooting, or fishing. M17. 4 a A thing tossed about by natural forces as if a plaything. M17. b An object of amusement, diversion, jesting, etc.; a laughing-stock, a plaything. L17. 5 BIOLOGY. A plant (or part of a plant), animal, etc., which exhibits some abnormal or striking variation from the parent stock or type, esp. in form or colour; a spontaneous mutation; a new variety produced in this way. (Earliest in sport of nature below.) Cf SPORT verb 7b. M17. 6 a A gambler, a gamester. US. b A person who follows or participates in (a) sport; a sportsman or sportswoman. L19. c A toung man; a fellow. US. L19. d. A fair-minded, geneous person; a lively, sociable person. See also good sport below. colloq. L19. e Used as a familiar form of address, esp. between males. Chielfly Austral. & NZ. E20. 7 The sports section of a newspaper. Freq. in pl. (treated as sing.) colloq. E20. 8 In pl. (treated as sing.) A sports car; a sports model of a car. colloq. M20.

Followed by several citations illustrating the various meanings, and then a lengthy set of phrases such as "in sport", "the sport of kings", "sports bar". Those are all just for the noun; there is then a section of similar length for the use of "sport" as a verb.

The full OED's entry is much longer still, mostly because it provides many citations for each meaning, from the oldest its editors have been able to find up to (where possible) something like the present day. E.g., the OED's version of the hunting/shooting/fishing meaning (3c in the SOED) is "Success, pleasure, or recreation derived from or afforded by an activity, originally and esp. hunting, shooting, or fishing. Frequently with adjectives expressing the level of success." and it has 17 citations ranging from approx 1450 to 1998.

[EDITED to fix a minor error.]

replies(1): >>terinj+Lu1
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4. terinj+mu1[view] [source] [discussion] 2021-12-30 19:51:40
>>kangal+c9
For all of these, this is just the first definition. They all had several more, that got more specific.
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5. terinj+Lu1[view] [source] [discussion] 2021-12-30 19:54:12
>>gjm11+Tr
Sorry if I wasn't clear in my original post. This was just looking at the first definition of the words, much like the examples given in the article. As you noted, the full OED definition is much longer, and the bear connection is mentioned in the etymology section.
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