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Origin and history of glide

glide(v.)

Old English glidan "move along smoothly and easily; glide away, vanish; slip, slide" (class I strong verb, past tense glad, past participle gliden), from Proto-Germanic *glidan "to glide" (source also of Old Saxon glidan, Old Frisian glida, Old High German glitan, German gleiten), probably part of the large group of Germanic words in gl- involving notions of "smooth; shining; joyful," from PIE root *ghel- (2) "to shine." Related: Glided; gliding. Strong past tense form glid persisted into 20c.

glide(n.)

1580s, from glide (v.). From 1835 as a term in music; from 1889 as a step in dancing or a type of dance.

also from 1580s

Entries linking to glide

glider(n.)

mid-15c., "person or thing that glides," agent noun from glide. Meaning "motorless airplane" is c. 1897.

glissade(n.)

in dancing, 1843, from French glissade, from glisser "to slip, slide" (13c.), from Frankish *glidan or some other Germanic source (cognate with Dutch glissen), from Proto-Germanic *glidan "to glide" (see glide (v.)). Earlier in English as a verb (1832).

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glitch
by 1953, said to have been in use in radio broadcast jargon since early 1940s, American English, possibly from Yiddish glitsh "a slip," from glitshn "to slip," from German glitschen, and related gleiten "to glide" (see glide (v.)). Perhaps directly from German. Apparently it bega
sailing
Old English seglinge, "act of one who or that which sails," verbal noun from the source of sail (v.). Gradually coming also to mean "the art or rules of directing a ship." Figurative use of smooth sailing for "easy progress" is from 1840. Yes; I must press on this marriage; Geor
slide
Middle English sliden, "glide, move smoothly and easily over a surface," also "to fall, lose one's balance through slipping," from Old English slidan (intransitive, past tense slad, past participle sliden) "to glide, slip, fall, fall down;" figuratively "fail, lapse morally, err;
slick
Proto-Germanic *slikojan, from *slikaz "sleek, smooth" (source also of Old Norse slikr "smooth," Old High German slihhan "to glide...This is reconstructed to be from PIE *sleig- "to smooth, glide, be muddy, spread," from root *(s)lei- "slimy" (see slime...
scree
This is from the verb skriða "to creep, crawl;" of a ship, "to sail, glide," also "to slide" (on snow-shoes), from Proto-Germanic...*skreithanan (source also of Old English scriþan "to go, glide," Old Saxon skridan, Dutch schrijden, Old High German scritan...
slip
, "to escape, to move softly and quickly," from an unrecorded Old English word or cognate Middle Low German slippen "to glide...slide," from Proto-Germanic *slipan (source also of Old High German slifan, Middle Dutch slippen, German schleifen "to glide...That of "slide, glide, pass smoothly and easily" is from 1520s....
plane
"soar, glide on motionless wings," early 15c., planen, from Old French planer "to hover (as a bird), to lie flat," from plan...
motion
late 14c., mocioun, "process of moving; change of place, continuous variation of position;" also "suggestion, proposal or proposition formally made," from Old French mocion "movement, motion; change, alteration" (13c., Modern French motion) and directly from Latin motionem (nomin
travel
late 14c., "to journey," from travailen (1300) "to make a journey," originally "to toil, labor" (see travail). The semantic development may have been via the notion of "go on a difficult journey," but it also may reflect the difficulty of any journey in the Middle Ages. Replaced
movement
late 14c., mevement, "change of position; passage from place to place," from Old French movement "movement, exercise; start, instigation" (Modern French mouvement), from Medieval Latin movimentum, from Latin movere "to move, set in motion" (from PIE root *meue- "to push away"). I

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