toboggan
Meanings
Plural: toboggans
Noun
- a long narrow sled without runners; boards curve upward in front
- A long sled without runners, with the front end curled upwards, which may be pulled across snow by a cord or used to coast down hills.
- A similar sled of wood, pulled by dogs, possibly with steel runners, made to transport cargo.
- Something which, once it starts going (figuratively) downhill, is unstoppable until it reaches the bottom.
- A knit cap, designed to provide warmth in cold weather.
Verb
- move along on a luge or toboggan
- To slide down a hill on a toboggan or other object.
- To go downhill unstoppably until one reaches the bottom.
- To fly sharply downward so as to build up speed to facilitate in-flight refueling of a faster aircraft.
Origin / Etymology
The noun is attested since 1829, the verb since 1846. Both derive from French tabaganne, which derives from an Algonquian word, probably Mi'kmaq tepaqan or Abenaki dabĂ´gan, influenced by similar words in other Eastern Canadian Algonquian languages. The sense of "hat" is recorded since 1929 and is short for toboggan cap (1928), a cap suitable for wearing while tobogganing.
Scrabble Score: 12
toboggan is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL wordtoboggan is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
toboggan is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary
Words With Friends Score: 16
toboggan is a valid Words With Friends word