I. ˈskāt, usu -ād.+V noun
( plural skates also skate )
Etymology: Middle English scate, from Old Norse skata
1. : any of numerous rays of Raja and related genera of the family Rajidae that have the pectoral fins greatly developed giving the animal a rhomboidal shape and that include the common gray skate ( Raja batis ) of Europe which sometimes weighs over 100 pounds and is extensively used as food, the barn-door skate, the little skate, and the thornback
2.
a. : skate bottom
b. : one of the units of gear making up a setline especially in Pacific coast fisheries and consisting of several hundred fathoms of groundline with gangions and hooks attached — compare tub
[s]skate.jpg[/s]
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: modification of Dutch schaats skate, stilt, from Middle Dutch schaetse stilt, from (assumed) Old North French escache (akin to Old French eschace stilt), perhaps of Germanic origin; akin to Old Saxon skakan to depart — more at shake
1.
a. : one of a pair of devices worn on the feet for skating on ice: as
(1) : a shoe with a metal runner fastened to the sole — called also ice skate ; see figure skate , hockey skate , racing skate
(2) : double-runner
b. : roller skate
2.
[ skate (III) ]
: a period of skating
went for a skate on the pond
3. : a sliding shoe fitting over a rail (as in a classification yard) to stop railroad cars not being retarded by brakes
4. : a vertical fender (as a curved steel skid) fastened to the side of a ship's boat to fend it clear of the ship's side while lowering from davits on the high side of a listing ship
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to glide along on skates propelled by the alternate action of the legs
b. : to compete in a skating match
picked to skate against the visiting team
2. : to slip or glide as if on skates
bugs that skate on top of the creek
3. : to proceed in a superficial or venturesome manner (as over a dangerous subject) : pass lightly
his ability deftly to skate over subjects which Americans find unfit for mixed society — Ernest Beaglehole
transitive verb
: to go along or through by skating
watched him skate the length of the rink
merely skates the surface of the difficulties involved — New Republic
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably alteration of skite (III)
1. : a contemptible person
these shyster skates … just slip in like the boll weevil — Tourist News
2. : a thin awkward-looking or decrepit horse : nag
3. : fellow
the baseball throng beams upon the president and agrees that he is a pretty good skate after all — Los Angeles (Calif.) Examiner