sledge
UK[sledʒ]US[sledʒ]
n
A vehicle on runners for travelling over snow or ice, often pulled by animals.
n
A heavy hammer with a long handle, used for breaking up rock or concrete.
v
To ride or travel on a sledge.
v
To beat or strike with a sledgehammer.
Etymology
The word 'sledge' entered English from Middle Dutch as 'sledde', a term for a vehicle that slides over snow. Its deeper roots lie in the Proto-Germanic verb slid- or slidōną, meaning 'to slide', which itself descends from the Proto-Indo-European root sleidh-, carrying the sense of slipping or sliding. This etymological journey from a simple action—sliding—to the object that performs it is direct and logical. The term later developed a separate, specialized meaning for a heavy hammer, likely due to the hammer's forceful, sliding blow.
Analysis
This is a simplex word. It is a loanword from Middle Dutch 'sledde', meaning a vehicle on runners. The ultimate origin is from a Germanic base meaning 'to slide'.
Examples
The children spent the afternoon racing down the hill on their new sledge.
The workers used a sledge to demolish the old brick wall.
We plan to sledge across the frozen lake to reach the cabin.