In British English and standard UK sports terminology, the sphere used to play the sport is simply called a "football." Unlike American sports culture—where the word football refers exclusively to the oval-shaped ball used in gridiron football, while round association footballs are referred to as "soccer balls"—British speakers use the term football to describe both the sport itself and the round ball kicked on the pitch. The word "soccer" actually originated in England as an abbreviation derived from "association" football during the late nineteenth century, but over time it fell out of common daily usage in the UK, where "football" became the universal and unambiguous term for the game.