slalom

noun SLAH-lom Rare

Origin: Borrowed from Norwegian slalåm (sloping track).

Usage Note

Slalom is invariable in Italian — the plural is also slalom. It is used in alpine skiing (slalom gigante = giant slalom, slalom speciale = slalom) and also metaphorically to describe dodging through obstacles: fare lo slalom tra le macchine (to weave through the cars). The word retains its Norwegian spelling in Italian.

Examples

"Ha vinto lo slalom gigante alle Olimpiadi."

Natural Translation

He won the giant slalom at the Olympics.

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