Boxing
/ˈbɒk.sɪŋ/noun
The sport of fighting with fists, or the act of putting something into a box.
Did you know?The fight-sport sense of boxing is much newer than the word box itself, and English only started using it for fistfighting in the 17th century.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
box
“A container or receptacle, especially one made from boxwood or used for holding things”
Middle English
ME
boxe
“A small case, container, or receptacle”
Late Middle English
ME
boxen
“To put into a box”
17th Century
English
boxing
“Fighting with fists as a sport”
Modern English
English
boxing
“The sport of fistfighting; also the act of packing something into boxes”