waterskin.
/ˈwɔːtəskiː/, U.S. /ˈwɔdərˌski/, /ˈwɑdərˌski/ 1. Each of a pair of long narrow pieces of wood, metal, or some other material on which a person stands and propels himself or herself over water under his or her own power. Also: a single piece of wood, etc., used on its own for this purpose.
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1901 Chehalis (Washington) Bee-Nugget 1 Feb. 31/5 An ingenious device for walking on water has been invented by Captain Grossman of Cologne, Germany... Captain Grossman's water skis are two plain cylinders made of aluminum, thirteen feet long... The skis are propelled by the treading of the feet.
1912 Wakarusa (Indiana) Tribune 2 May 6/4 I held up a bunch of gaudy beads, and after half an hour's waiting a lad came across in a canoe—or, rather, a kind of water ski.
1914 MotorBoating Aug. 38/2 The..combined surf boat and water ski..consists of a curved board having attached to it two floats and a propelling apparatus.
1926 Pop. Sci. July 61/1 His water skis..are connected by braces that can be adjusted by thumbscrews to suit the skier's convenience. He propels himself with paddles.
1932 Boys' Life Jan. 28 The first man to walk across the English Channel..placed his feet in a pair of the new water skis, resembling very small kayaks.., and started out.
1948 Pop. Mech. Apr. 176/2 A Venetian barber has invented a pair of water skis that can be worn like shoes, enabling residents to walk on the waters of the city's famous canals.
2000 Weekly World News 25 July 18/1 Bricka, 52, plans to plod across the Pacific using canoe-like water skis and a paddle.
2. A ski or (in plural) pair of skis designed to enable the wearer to skim the surface of the water when towed by a motor boat. Usually in plural. (Now the usual sense.)Water skis were originally wooden, but are now usually made of fibreglass or carbon fibre.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > water sports except racing > other water sports > [noun] > water-skiing > water-ski
waterski1927
ski1930
monoski1953
1927 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 12 May 20/3 (caption) Mrs. Mille Gade Corso..entertained members of the crews of the merged American fleets..by riding water Skis.
1932 Pop. Sci July 73/2 Most beginners..are quite satisfied with the accomplishment of being able to stand erect on water skis while being towed over a zigzag course by a motor boat.
1952 D. Dodge To catch Thief v. 149 A speedboat roared by... A man and a girl on water skis rode the wake.
1956 R. T. Peterson & J. Fisher Wild Amer. ix. 101 A girl came by at breakneck speed on one water ski.
1989 Water Ski Apr. 14/1 I have visited ski shops.., only to find sales people who aren't aware that people can ski on only one water ski!
2001 N.Y. Mag. 25 June 60/2 The kids are ditching their waterskis to pursue the new vision of nowness.
Derivatives
General attributive, as waterski race, waterski show, etc.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > water sports except racing > other water sports > [adjective] > water-skiing
waterski1914
1914 Oxnard (Calif.) Daily Courier 9 Apr. 1/6 A program of water sports including high powered speed boat races, surf board races, water ski races..will be staged.
1931 N.Y. Times 3 May xx. 15/4 The 1929 water ski champion, Herr Pribitzer of the water-ski rescue section..has attained speeds of more than twelve miles an hour.
1955 Sports Illustr. 1 Aug. 27 California water-ski clothes show a penchant for dressing to match from trunks to skis.
1970 S. Annis Detroit xi. 205 Many sponsor summer as well as winter activities—softball and football leagues, picnics, waterskiing, and even a waterski show.
1996 Trailer Boats Oct. 26/1 Kneeboarding has had a rocky road on its way to becoming one of the mainstays of the waterski industry.
2012 C. M. Schmidt Swimsuit iv. 48 The Miss Universe Australia entrants included a police officer, a truckie and a waterski champion.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2015; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
waterskiv.
/ˈwɔːtəˌskiː/, U.S. /ˈwɔdərˌski/, /ˈwɑdərˌski/ intransitive. To skim over the surface of water on a waterski or pair of waterskis while towed by a motor boat; to engage in waterskiing.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > water sports except racing > other water sports > engage in other water sports [verb (intransitive)] > water-ski
ride1885
waterski1927
ski1947
monoski1968
1927 Escanaba (Mich.) Daily Press 19 May 8/3 (caption) Mille Gade Gordon..water-skiiing past the U.S.S. Battle, flagship of the battle fleet on visit from New York.
1940 N.Y. Times 14 Jan. (Recreation section) 5/1 The contestants will water ski for two periods of five minutes and the judging will be based on speed, style and execution.
1953 Time 19 Jan. 85/3 Aristotle Socrates Onassis is a Greek-born Argentine who water-skis in the best international circles.
1972 K. Tynan Let. 17 Nov. (1994) vii. 529 Among them a tall roving blonde and her squat male mate, who waterskied prettily this morning.
1997 New Yorker 26 May 45/1 A smallish..somewhat shallow lake, where no one motorboated or water-skied.
2001 America's Horse May 43/1 Lindy likes to..waterski in the summer and snowboard in the winter.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2015; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1901
v.1927