Long, narrow pieces of wood, metal, or synthetic material worn on the feet to glide over snow. Equipment used for skiing as recreation or sport.
From Old Norse 'skíð' meaning 'split piece of wood' or 'snowshoe'. Related to English 'sheath' and 'shed'. The word entered English through Norwegian in the 1880s as skiing became popular. Originally referred to any long, flat piece of wood.
Skis were invented over 5,000 years ago in Scandinavia, making them older than the wheel! The plural 'skis' is actually a relatively modern anglicization - in Norwegian, one would say 'a pair of ski' even today.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.