glissade

[ gli-sahd, -seyd ]

noun

1. a skillful glide over snow or ice in descending a mountain, as on skis or a toboggan.
2. Dance. a sliding or gliding step.

verb (used without object)

, glis·sad·ed, glis·sad·ing.

1. to perform a glissade.

glissade

/ -ˈseɪd; ɡlɪˈsɑːd /

noun

1. a gliding step in ballet, in which one foot slides forwards, sideways, or backwards
2. a controlled slide down a snow slope

verb

1. intr to perform a glissade

Derived Forms

• glisˈsader, noun

Other Words From

• glis·sader noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of glissade¹

1830–40; < French, equivalent to gliss ( er ) to slip, slide + -ade -ade ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of glissade¹

C19: from French, from glisser to slip, from Old French glicier, of Frankish origin; compare Old High German glītan to glide

Example Sentences

For the glissade, Nancy glided over a few feet to the left.

From Literature

In the book, she glissades past this defining moment, which I would have liked to see her hold for a few more counts.

From Washington Post

From hiking a few miles to learning how to use an ice ax and glissade down a mountain, we trained and grew stronger together to ultimately reach the summit.

From Seattle Times

As I contemplated how to avoid glissading down the mountain, my phone powered down due to the cold and I lost my GPS tracker.

From Seattle Times

At about 7 a.m., around 300 dancers — boys and girls, men and women — took turns glissading across the concrete at 44th Street and Seventh Avenue, which was transformed into a scene from “Fame.”

From New York Times