piste

[ peest ]

noun

1. a track or trail, as a downhill ski run or a spoor made by a wild animal.
2. (in fencing) a regulation-size strip, usually 2 meters wide and 14 meters long, on which fencers compete.

piste

/ piːst /

noun

1. a trail, slope, or course for skiing
2. a rectangular area for fencing bouts

Word History and Origins

Origin of piste¹

1720–30; < French: animal track < Italian pista, pesta, noun derivative of pestare to pound, crush < Vulgar Latin, frequentative of Latin pī ( n ) sere; pestle

Word History and Origins

Origin of piste¹

C18: via Old French from Old Italian pista, from pistare to tread down

Example Sentences

Hafez, who is from Cairo and was appearing at her third Olympics, said "pride fills my being" after taking to the piste while expecting.

From BBC

Sorry scenes of a thin white strip of artificial piste snaking down an otherwise brown or green mountain have prompted questions over whether the days of alpine skiing as we know it might be numbered.

From BBC

Was this an intentional shift away from what they did in the first three games or was it just the players going off piste?

From BBC

Smirnova sat on a chair on the piste in an apparent protest over the handshake.

From Seattle Times

Smirnova remained on the piste for over half an hour after the incident, speaking with a number of officials before leaving.

From Reuters