Skate
/skeɪt/noun
To move smoothly on skates or a skateboard, or to glide over a surface.
Did you know?The word comes from Dutch schaats, and the same ancient Germanic root also gave English words like “shade,” “shadow,” and “screen,” all tied to the idea of covering or protecting.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skadwaz
“shadow, shade, protection”
Old Dutch
Old Dutch
scaats
“ice skate”
Middle Dutch
Middle Dutch
schaats
“ice skate”
17th Century
English
skate
“a runner or blade for gliding on ice”
Modern English
English
skate
“to glide on skates; a wheeled or bladed device for gliding”