piste
Americannoun
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a track or trail, as a downhill ski run or a spoor made by a wild animal.
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(in fencing) a regulation-size strip, usually 2 meters wide and 14 meters long, on which fencers compete.
noun
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a trail, slope, or course for skiing
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a rectangular area for fencing bouts
Etymology
Origin of piste
1720–30; < French: animal track < Italian pista, pesta, noun derivative of pestare to pound, crush < Vulgar Latin, frequentative of Latin pī ( n ) sere; cf. pestle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It has led him to a seventh-place finish in Saturday's downhill, racing with his guide James Hannan down the iconic Olympia delle Tofane piste, with more events to follow over the coming days.
From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026
Harrop's second tour around the course on the Stelvio piste saw her extend the lead over her female rivals to more than 27sec.
From Barron's • Feb. 21, 2026
She was airlifted off the piste and taken to hospital in Treviso, where she was diagnosed with a "complex tibia fracture" in her left leg.
From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026
She was winched off the piste by a rescue helicopter and is being treated in a hospital in Treviso.
From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026
La marque des Sorciers est tantost come vne piste ou pied de lieure, & tantost d'autre façon.
From The Witch-cult in Western Europe A Study in Anthropology by Murray, Margaret Alice
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
