piste
Americannoun
-
a track or trail, as a downhill ski run or a spoor made by a wild animal.
-
(in fencing) a regulation-size strip, usually 2 meters wide and 14 meters long, on which fencers compete.
noun
-
a trail, slope, or course for skiing
-
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; 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.
Last weekend a third official training session for the Para-alpine skiing downhill events was cancelled in a bid to maintain the piste conditions.
From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026
"When she comes skiing, it's nice to get to the bottom of the piste, win or lose, and have this furry ball of love waiting for me."
From BBC • Mar. 12, 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
In the same event, her compatriot Lindsey Vonn suffered a crash which saw her airlifted off the piste after a lengthy delay.
From BBC • Feb. 8, 2026
It was not worth while to undeceive others; what were life worth, if a man were forced to feel himself a la piste of all the calumnies uttered against him?
From The Virginians by Thackeray, William Makepeace
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.
