parasailing

6 4.2

Being pulled by a boat while you glide on a parachute above the water

noun
/ˈpɛrəˌseɪlɪŋ/

: paracaidismo de remolque

On sunny days, you can experience parasailing and glide over the waves with a colorful parachute.
parasailing and snorkeling
parasailing and scuba
parasailing and skiing

Not to be confused with parasailing or Hang Gliding, which I keep doing.

Examples

Alvin, you're too young for parasailing.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011)
And we've seen that parasailing, hot air balloons, stuff like that.
-And look at this one I saw of you, me and Mom in Jamaica, parasailing.

Marry Me (2022)
If you haven't done parasailing, go do it.
We went parasailing?

Marry Me (2022)
Heather, we've got a complaint about some partiers parasailing.

Malibu Shark Attack (2009)
She took it surfing, parasailing, deep-sea diving.

Surrogates (2009)
Also, checked out our room, dibbed the side of the bed closest to the window, ordered us a round of virgin piña coladas and signed us up for parasailing.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011)
Sitting down for the Goombay drumming show, Alison was summoned by her office—some problem scheduling a parasailing trip.

Fiction book (2002)
Many tourists enjoy parasailing to see the coastline from above while being towed by a boat.

How Thrilling

skydiving

32 4.1

paragliding

2 4.6

parasailing

6 4.2

gliding

Specialized

7 4.6

Surface Forms

parasailing singular

parasailings plural

Morphology

parasailing = parasail (transparent) = parasail + ing

Formed by adding the productive suffix '-ing' to the verb 'parasail'; the activity meaning follows standard gerund/verb-to-noun derivation.

Etymology

The word parasailing comes from para-, as in parachute, and sail, so it mixes the idea of a parachute and sailing. Think of a parachute that 'sails' above the water while a boat pulls you, which is exactly what parasailing is.