figure skating

figure skating



Full Definition of FIGURE SKATING

:  skating characterized by the performance of various jumps, spins, and dance movements and formerly by the tracing of prescribed figures
figure skater noun

First Known Use of FIGURE SKATING


figure skating

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Michelle Kwan (U.S.) performing at the world figure-skating championships, Vancouver, B.C., Can., …—Jeff Haynes—AFP/Getty Images

Sport in which ice skaters, singly or in pairs, perform various jumps, spins, and footwork. The figure skate blade has a special serrated toe pick, or toe rake, at the front. Figure-skating events, held in the 1908 and 1920 Olympic Games, have constituted part of the Winter Olympics since they were inaugurated in 1924. Until 1991, competition included a compulsory section in which prescribed figures were traced. Competition for individuals includes two free-skating programs: a short program with mandatory requirements and a long program designed to show the skater's skill and grace. Jumps fall into two main groups: the edge jumps (such as the axel, the salchow, and the loop), which take off from one foot; and the toe jumps (such as the toe loop, the flip, and the lutz), which are edge jumps assisted by a vault off the toe pick of the other foot. Additional pair moves, involving a man and a woman skating together, include lifts and throw jumps. Figure-skating programs are judged on both technical merit and artistic impression. See also ice dancing.


Next Word in the Dictionary: figure stone
Previous Word in the Dictionary: figure skate
All Words Near: figure skating

Seen & Heard

What made you want to look up figure skating? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).