slalom

Etymology

It is borrowed from Norwegian slalåm (“skiing race; literally, sloping track”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} formed from Norwegian sla (“sloping”) + låm (“track”).^[2][7][4] The American Heritage Dictionary and Collins give the first part as slad (“sloping”) and the second as a word for path;^[8][9] Barnhart describes the track as the kind made by skis.^[3] Klein and Etymonline relate the second element to laan (“a row of houses”) and to English lane.^[10][11]

Earliest recorded meaning

A downhill ski race over a zigzag course between artificial obstacles, usually flags: 1921, in the British Ski Year Book.^[2][3][5]

Semantic evolution

The word was taken from skiing to other sports with a winding course between markers: water-skiing round buoys (1949), canoe races through obstacles on rapid water (1956), driving a motor vehicle round markers (1965) and skateboarding (1976).^[2] The verb, to take part in a slalom or to make rapid zigzag turns, is recorded from 1973.^[2][9] The Shorter Oxford also records giant slalom, a slalom over a longer distance.^[7]

Timeline

• 1921 – a downhill ski race on a zigzag course.^[2][3][5]
• 1949 – in water-skiing, a run along a course marked by buoys.^[2]
• 1956 – a canoe race between obstacles.^[2]
• 1965 – a driving contest on a zigzag course.^[2]
• 1973 – verb, to compete in a slalom or move in quick turns.^[2]
• 1976 – a similar race in skateboarding.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A skiing race, usually downhill, over a winding course between flags or other obstacles.^[9][5][2]
2. A similar race or course in other sports, such as canoe racing, water-skiing or driving: the kayak slalom.^[9][2]

Verb

1. To take part in a slalom, or to move in a series of quick zigzag turns: The cyclist slalomed between the parked cars.^[9][2]

Word family

• slalomer
• canoe slalom
• giant slalom
• super giant slalom

Related words

• lane

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
9. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
10. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
11. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com