footballingn.
/ˈfʊtbɔːlɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈfʊtˌbɔlɪŋ/, /ˈfʊtˌbɑlɪŋ/ The playing of football.
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1599 in S. Ree Rec. Elgin (1908) II. 76 All prophane pastyme inhibited..specallie futballing through the toun.
1716 R. Neve Merry Compan. Ep. to Rdr. sig. A8 Ringing of Bells,..Hunting, Foot-Balling, and the like dangerous Exercises.
1855 Christian Weekly News 27 Feb. 134/2 The skating and footballing went off very satisfactorily.
1899 Country Life Illustr. 25 Feb. 231/1 Ah reckon nowt to this footballin'.
1922 Argosy-Allstory Weekly 16 Dec. 958 The footballing is stopped so that the doctors could go over the field.
2003 Guardian 9 Oct. 27/1 The decline in English footballing has reached such a depth that something has to be done to restore civilised behaviour.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
footballingadj.
/ˈfʊtbɔːlɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈfʊtˌbɔlɪŋ/, /ˈfʊtˌbɑlɪŋ/ That plays football; of or relating to football.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > [adjective]
footballing1876
1876 Sporting Gaz. 8 Jan. 40/2 As miserable weather as the footballing fraternity have been afflicted with for some time past.
1885 G. Meredith Diana of Crossways I. v. 129 She became the Mrs. Warwick of our footballing world.
1912 Middlesex Gaz. 16 Mar. 3/1 I had upset some of my footballing friends.
1986 Guardian 30 Dec. 14/5 The onlooking parent was at least fairly ignorant on the whole about the finer points of footballing rules and strategy.
2010 T. Keane Gaffers x. 181 I was brought up in a footballing family.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1599
adj.1876