sleigh

(slā)

noun

a light vehicle on runners, usually horse-drawn, for carrying persons over snow and ice

Origin: Du slee, contr. of slede, a sled

intransitive verb

to ride in or drive a sleigh

See sleigh in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
A light vehicle mounted on runners and having one or more seats, usually drawn by a horse over snow or ice.
intransitive verb sleighed, sleigh·ing, sleighs
To ride in or drive a sleigh.

Origin:

Origin: Dutch slee

Origin: , variant of slede

Origin: , from Middle Dutch slēde

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Related Forms:

  • sleighˈer noun
Our Living Language Sleigh is a familiar word in American English, having entered the language from Dutch by 1700. The Dutch were among the earliest colonists in North America, and it is thus no surprise that some very common words come from their language. Boss, bush, and landscape are all originally Dutch words that became established in English by the end of the 17th century. In the succeeding centuries we got such words as dope, knickerbocker, snoop, spook, waffle, and cookie. Even a term practically synonymous with American, namely Yankee, was in all probability originally a Dutch word for a Dutch pirate. See Note at Yankee.

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