[Ads-l] "Basketball" (The Ball) Not in OED

[Shapiro, Fred]

Thanks, Peter.  But these two documents are actually dated much later than 1877.  The game of basketball was invented in 1891 or 1892 by James Naismith.  Naismith stated about the ball: "for the first two years, it was an ordinary Association football, and it was not until 1894 that there was any such thing as a basketball."
The earliest use of the term "basket ball" was probably in some catalog of the Spalding company in early 1894.
Fred Shapiro

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From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of mr_peter_morris at outlook.com <mr_peter_morris at OUTLOOK.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, April 1, 2026 3:29 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: "Basketball" (The Ball) Not in OED


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University of Wisconsin spent $14 to buy basket balls

1877

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"basket balls , broadsword blades , etc. , purchased "

1878


------ Original Message ------
>From "Shapiro, Fred" <00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Date 31/03/2026 13:47:02
Subject "Basketball" (The Ball) Not in OED

>Surprisingly, the OED does not include a subsense for the word "basketball" meaning the ball itself.  The entries for "baseball" and "football" include subsenses for those balls.
>
>Here is the earliest citation I have found in some very cursory research:
>
>1894 Kalamazoo Gazette 29 May 8/1 (Newspapers.com)  This evening a contest, consisting of throwing a basket ball at the basket will be held at the Y. M. C. A. gymnasium.  Each contestant will be allowed five throws.
>
>Fred Shapiro
>
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