skid

Definition

An out-of-control sliding motion as would result from applying the brakes too hard in a car or other vehicle.

Etymology

From Middle English *skid, from Old Norse skíð (“a billet of wood, a beam or plank on which something rests”), from Proto-Germanic *skīdą (“log, clapboard”), from Proto-Indo-European *skey-t-, *skey- (“to split, divide, separate”). Cognate with English shide, from Middle English schyd, schyde, schide (“plank, beam”), German Scheit (“piece of wood, log”). Doublet of ski.

Example Sentences

• "Near-synonyms: wheelslide, sideslip"
• "Just before hitting the guardrail the driver was able to regain control and pull out of the skid."
• "In the hours before daylight he sharpened the skids and tightened the lashings to prepare for the long dogsled journey."