Jumping from an aircraft while wearing a parachute that opens to slow your descent and allow you to land safely.
From French 'parachute' (para- meaning protection + chute meaning fall), the term was coined in French and adopted into English in the late 1700s.
The parachute was invented centuries before airplanes existed—Leonardo da Vinci sketched parachute designs in the 1400s, but nobody could test them until powered flight was invented, making the parachute history's longest-delayed invention.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.