Sailing
/ˈseɪlɪŋ/noun
The activity or sport of traveling on water in a sailboat or ship using sails.
Did you know?Sail comes from the same ancient Germanic root as Latin velum and English veil, so the word family behind sailing is tied to the idea of a covering or curtain that catches the unseen.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*swel-
“to swell, blow”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*seglą
“a sail”
Old English
OE
seġel
“a sail”
Middle English
ME
sailen
“to travel by sail”
Modern English
English
sailing
“the act or sport of traveling by sail”