Bobsleds

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small, lightweight vehicle designed for racing down a particularly ice-covered track, featuring two parallel runners for steering
2. A type of sled used by teams of athletes in winter sports competitions, typically designed for speed on a curved, icy course
3. An apparatus for sliding downhill with multiple passengers, often utilized in events that test balance and velocity on a specialized track

Etymology: The word "bobsleds" is simply the plural of "bobsled," so its history is really the history of that compound. "Bobsled" is formed from "bob" and "sled." The "sled" part has a long pedigree: it descends from a Proto-Germanic word, "slidô," which carried the idea of sliding, and it came into English through Middle English "sledde" and Middle Dutch and Middle Low German forms of the same root. "Bob" is the older of the two parts in terms of its sense here, and it refers to the linked, bobbing motion of the sled's runners and riders, which gives the compound its meaning of a sled built for fast, coordinated descent.

Synonyms: sleds, sleighs