Telemark

Part of speech: noun, adjective, verb

Definitions

1. A historic county in southern Norway, known for its scenic valleys and lakes ; a skiing technique in which one knee dips low into a lunge while the skis turn
2. A region of southern Norway with mountains and lakes ; a ski turn performed by sinking one knee toward the snow while the other leg stays bent
3. A Norwegian county of rugged landscapes and lakes ; a downhill ski manoeuvre in which one leg kneels low to guide the skis through a turn

Etymology: The Norwegian county of Telemark takes its name from an old Norse compound, "Þelamǫrk", built from the genitive plural of "þelir", the name of an ancient Germanic tribe, and "mǫrk", meaning borderland, march or woodland. The name therefore means roughly "the borderland of the Þelir people," a label that tells us the district was once known by the people who lived there rather than by any geographical feature. The tribal name itself has no secure meaning, so the surviving history of the word lies in the second element. "Mǫrk" appears across Germanic languages as a term for a boundary zone or frontier forest, the same sense found in English "march" as in the Welsh Marches. Telemark's name thus records a frontier district that was defined by its edge, not its centre. The word "telemark" also came into English as a term in skiing, where it names a turn in which one knee is bent low with the other leg extended behind. That usage is named after the county, a reflection of the region's association with the sport in its early development.