Emily Dickinson Lexicon

play, n. [OE.] (webplay: arms, bleed, child, dance, dark, day, degrees, dramatic, eyesight, fair play, fire, fool, gambols, heard, heart, house, intended, just, leap, lie, lives, lord, love, maker, man, merriment, move, music, people, room, scenes, series, setting sun, show, sport, sun, task, trick, turn, work).

1. Recreation; amusement; frolic; diversion.
2. Game; sport.
3. Rest; leisure; idleness; holiday; repose from labor.
4. Joke; jest; prank; fun; mischief; roguery; impishness; merriment derived from toying with another.
5. Drama; show; theatrical performance.
6. Behavior; conduct; set of actions; situation.
7. Movement; dance; choreography; flickering; twinkling; flitting; variable motion; [fig.] rays; beams of light.
8. Phrase. “At play”: engaged in sport; enjoying leisure; involved in merriment.