from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Sporting \Sport"ing\, a.
Of, pertaining to, or engaging in, sport or sports;
exhibiting the character or conduct of one who, or that
which, sports.
[1913 Webster]
{Sporting book}, a book containing a record of bets, gambling
operations, and the like. --C. Kingsley.
{Sporting house}, a house frequented by sportsmen, gamblers,
and the like.
{Sporting man}, one who practices field sports; also, a horse
racer, a pugilist, a gambler, or the like.
{Sporting plant} (Bot.), a plant in which a single bud or
offset suddenly assumes a new, and sometimes very
different, character from that of the rest of the plant.
--Darwin.
[1913 Webster]