Moved over a surface (usually ice or smooth ground) wearing skates; also means to move quickly or evade something.
From Dutch 'schaats' (skate), which came from Old Norse. Dutch traders brought the word and the technology to English speakers. The verb developed from the noun.
Skating is ancient—archaeologists found bone skates in Scandinavia from 3,500 years ago, but ice skating became a passion only after the Little Ice Age made frozen winters common in Europe.
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