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.
She was airlifted off the piste and diagnosed with a complex tibia fracture in her left leg.
From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026
She was treated on the slope for a lengthy period before being airlifted off the piste to Ca Foncello hospital in Treviso, where she underwent surgery on a fractured left leg.
From BBC • Feb. 9, 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
She cried in anguish and pain after her awful fall high up the course, medical staff surrounding the distraught 41-year-old on the Olimpia delle Tofane piste where has enjoyed much success in the past.
From Barron's • Feb. 8, 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.
