Luge
/luːʒ/noun
A small one- or two-person sled used in racing, or the sport of racing on such a sled.
Did you know?Luge entered English through French, where it names the sled itself; the sport’s name is literally built around the vehicle, not some ancient mystical term.
Etymological Timeline
Late 19th Century
French
luge
“a small sled used for sliding on snow”
Late 19th Century
English
luge
“the sled or the sport of racing on it”
Modern English
English
luge
“a racing sled and the sport of sled racing”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*slīdaną
“to slide, slip”
Old English
Eng
slīdan
“to glide or slip”