Chicanes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A series of tight turns or obstacles, often used in a racing context to slow down vehicles and enhance safety
2. A physical arrangement designed to challenge the speed of a car by forcing it to navigate through twists and turns
3. An artificial feature created to control traffic speed by introducing curves and barriers on a road or track

Etymology: The plural "chicanes" is simply the form of "chicane," a noun taken into English from French "chicane." The French word, in turn, is the source of a sense that has nothing to do with motorsport: in chess-era and legal usage, "chicane" meant trickery or quibbling, and the idea of a winding, obstructing path grew naturally from that sense of evasive maneuvering. Motorsport borrowed the word for its circuits, where a chicane is a pair of sharp bends placed on a straight to force drivers to brake and slow down. The obstacle is designed to cut speed and reduce the danger of high-speed crashes, so the word's original notion of a deliberate obstruction now serves a protective purpose.