Windsurf

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈwɪndsɜː(ɹ)f/

Definitions

1. This sport involves riding a board across water while being propelled by a sail that catches the wind, blending the skills of surfing and sailing in one fluid activity
2. Engaging in this recreational activity requires maintaining balance on a board supported by a sail, utilizing wind power for movement over water
3. This activity combines elements of surfing and sailing, where an individual balances on a board while harnessing the wind's force through a sail to glide over water

Etymology: Windsurfing is a compound of two older words, "wind" and "surf," and its history is mostly the story of those parts being joined. "Wind" comes down from Proto-Germanic and Old English, where it has long meant moving air. "Surf" is the older of the two in this sense, traced in English through Middle English "suffe" and an earlier word of uncertain origin for the foaming water that breaks on a shore. The combination is a plain, transparent coinage: a sport that uses the wind to drive a board over water, joining what a sailor does with a sail to what a surfer does on a wave. Nothing about the word hides a myth or a surprise; its parts say what the activity is.

Synonyms: surf, board, sailboard, kiteboard, float