Etymology

skate

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Today it means: A runner or blade, usually of steel, with a frame shaped to fit the sole of a shoe, made to be fastened under the foot, and used for gliding on ice. Full definition →

Dutch schaats ← Middle Dutch schāetse ← Frankish *skakkjā
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skate · noun, verb, adjective1

  1. Frankish · derived from*skakkjā“stilt”
  2. Middle Dutch · derived fromschāetse
  3. Dutch · derived fromschaats
  4. English todayskate

Back-formation from Dutch schaats, from Middle Dutch schāetse, from Old Northern French escache (“a stilt, trestle”) (compare French échasse and English scatch), from a Germanic language, perhaps Frankish *skakkjā (“stilt”, literally “thing that moves”), related to *skakan (“to shake, swing”).

skate · noun2

  1. Old Norse · derived fromskata“skate”
  2. Middle English · inherited fromskat
  3. English todayskate

From Middle English skat, scate (also schat), from Old Norse skata (“skate”). Cognate with Icelandic skata (“skate, ray”), Norwegian skate (“skate”).

skate · noun3

Origin uncertain, but probably related to skite.

Skate · proper noun4

Blend of Sawyer + Kate.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.