luge

Imagine lying flat on your back and rushing down an icy track with your feet first. That's luge. It is a winter sport in which a person races on a small sled, guiding it through turns with slight movements of the body. There is no steering wheel, so even tiny shifts matter.

The word can also mean the sled itself, though people often use it for the sport or the ride. It comes from a French word meaning "sled." What began as a simple sled used in snowy mountain areas later became a fast, skilled Olympic event.

Luge (pronounced roughly like "loozh") is most often the name of a winter sport in which a person races down a specially built ice track on a small sled. The rider lies flat on their back with their feet first and steers with small movements of the legs, shoulders, and body. By extension, the word can also refer to the sled used for that ride.

In the sport, the track is full of curves and long straight sections, and riders can move at very high speeds while staying just inches above the ice. Because the steering is so slight, the sport depends on balance, timing, and calm control. It may look simple from a distance, but it takes a lot of practice to guide the sled cleanly through each turn.

The word comes from French, where it means "sled." Over time, it came to be strongly linked with organized racing, especially in winter sports competitions. In modern use, people usually mean the Olympic-style event when they say "luge," but in some contexts they may simply mean a light sled or the act of riding one downhill. So if you picture someone speeding down an icy course on their back, feet first, you have the right idea.