ski

or skee

[skee]

noun, plural skis or, sometimes, ski.

one of a pair of long, slender runners made of wood, plastic, or metal used in gliding over snow.

water ski.

verb (used without object), skied, ski·ing.

to travel on skis, as for sport.

verb (used with object), skied, ski·ing.

to use skis on; travel on skis over: to ski the slopes of Switzerland.

Origin of ski

1745–55; < Norwegian; Old Norse skīth; cognate with Old English scīd strip of wood, German Scheit thin board

Related formsski·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ski

Contemporary Examples of ski

Ski resorts are a business, and one that can be quite fickle—a bad snow season means poor revenues.
Solar Powered Ski Lift
The Daily Beast
November 24, 2014
Berkshire East ski resort near the Vermont border, which has 44 trails, has taken this power-production drive a step further.
Solar Powered Ski Lift
The Daily Beast
November 24, 2014
For aesthetic reasons, ski resort operators try to limit the noise and infrastructure associated with producing power.
Solar Powered Ski Lift
The Daily Beast
November 24, 2014
But only recently did this dispute spread to the lily-white slopes of a Montana ski resort.
A Racist’s Crazy Ski Resort Smackdown
James Kirchick
October 18, 2014
Ninety minutes later, Scheunemann told the organizers of the ski club about the chairlift incident.
A Racist’s Crazy Ski Resort Smackdown
James Kirchick
October 18, 2014

Historical Examples of ski

Unless you can ski very well, a jump like that's awfully dangerous.
Highacres
Jane Abbott
The shoulder blade of a walrus fastened to a ski served as spade.
From Pole to Pole
Sven Anders Hedin
One of my ski had finished the hill-shoot 'on its own,' and lay on the level far below.
Chatterbox, 1906
Various
Soon we will swim in the pools and ski on the slopes of virtual reality.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin
Tournaments were held for ski, rifle-shooting, yachting, and other sports.
Through Finland in Carts
Ethel Brilliana Alec-Tweedie

British Dictionary definitions for ski

ski

noun plural skis or ski

one of a pair of wood, metal, or plastic runners that are used for gliding over snow. Skis are commonly attached to shoes for sport, but may also be used as landing gear for aircraft, etc
(as modifier)a ski boot

a water-ski

verb skis, skiing, skied or ski'd

(intr) to travel on skis

Derived Formsskiable, adjectiveskier, nounskiing, noun

Word Origin for ski

C19: from Norwegian, from Old Norse skith snowshoes; related to Old English scīd piece of split wood

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ski

1883 (there is an isolated instance from 1755; in early use often spelled skee), from Norwegian ski, related to Old Norse skið "long snowshoe," literally "stick of wood, firewood," cognate with Old English scid "stick of wood," obsolete English shide "piece of wood split off from timber;" Old High German skit, German Scheit "log," from Proto-Germanic *skid- "to divide, split," from PIE root *skei- "to cut, split" (see shed (v.)). Ski-jumper is from 1894; ski bum first attested 1960; ski-mask is from 1963; noted as part of criminal disguises from 1968.

1885, from ski (n.). Related: Skied; skiing.