Dictionary

Corinthian spirit en · NOUN

Etymology

From Corinthian (“of a sporting event: restricted to gentleman amateurs”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) An especially high standard of sportsmanship.
   • Another thing the Association fostered, he thought, was the Old Boy spirit -- the Corinthian spirit -- and one way in which that was done was through sport. 1924 May 30, “St. Mary's Old Boys At Dinner”, in Dover Express, page 5:
   • It would be an injustice, however, to regard Pegasus as simply a late flowering of the Corinthian spirit, a throwback to an era of elite amateurism 2000, Adrian Smith with Dilwyn Porter, Amateurs and Professionals in Post-war British Sport, page 2:
2. (countable, dated, uncountable) Amateurism, originally in yachting.
   • [A] farmer living on Lake Ontario ... was seized with the Corinthian spirit after reading some articles on boating. The farmer wrote: A neighbor and myself built a boat for instruction and amusement ... 1879 February 14, “Sporting News”, in Buffalo Commercial, Buffalo (NY), page 3:
   • An enthusiastic yachtsman, he, in true Corinthian spirit, worked his little craft himself ... 1886 June 19, “A Trick At The Helm”, in Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Arts, London: Chambers, page 399:
   • In the clubs interest in boxing for money seems almost dead. The army boxing contests are keenly followed, so are those of those of the universities and public schools, but the old Corinthian spirit has dropped many degrees in the social scale. 1909 January 10, “Negro Was Favorite With London Sports”, in Scranton Republican, Scranton, PA, page 2:

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