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Today it means

skate

a boot fitted with a blade or wheels, used for gliding over ice or ground

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Where does the word "skate" come from? It comes from Dutch schaats, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "skate" come from? It comes from Dutch schaats, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).

Skate’s story begins in Dutch: schaats meant “an ice skate.” The Dutch word for a blade attached to the foot for gliding on ice. It reached English by 1600s as skate. Dutch 'schaats', ice skate; English exiles in Holland brought skating home in the 1660s. Today, skate means a boot fitted with a blade or wheels, used for gliding over ice or ground.

  1. Stage 1 · Dutch · medieval schaats "an ice skate", the Dutch word for a blade attached to the foot for gliding on ice.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1600s skate "a blade or wheeled device for gliding", Dutch 'schaats', ice skate; English exiles in Holland brought skating home in the 1660s.

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