freestyle

English

Alternative forms

• free-style

Etymology

From free +‎ style.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɹiːˌstaɪl/
• US: IPA^(key): /fɹiˌstaɪəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

freestyle (countable and uncountable, plural freestyles)

1. (sports) A sports event where competitors can choose their own method of participation.
   1. (swimming) A swimming event in which the contestants may choose any stroke.
      1. (swimming, by extension) The swimming stroke commonly referred to as the front crawl or the Australian crawl.
   2. (skiing) A cross-country skiing event in which the competitors may choose any style of skiing.
      1. (skiing, by extension) The skiing style commonly referred to as skating.
   3. (wrestling) A style of wrestling in which any non-injurious holds are permitted.
2. (music) A form of rapping in which the emcee makes up lyrics while performing.
   • 2014, Michael W. Waters, Freestyle: Reflections on Faith, Family, Justice, and Pop Culture‎^[1], Fresh Air Books, →ISBN:

     In the world of hip hop, many freestyle artists have been known to speak, “Check one, check two!” into the microphone. The phrasing serves two purposes: (1) to put the freestyle artist on rhythm with the beat and (2) […]

3. (by extension, attributive) Anything done in an improvised or unrestricted way.
   • 2012, Sarah Marx Feldner, A Cook's Journey to Japan: 100 Homestyle Recipes from Japanese Kitchens‎^[2], Tuttle Publishing, →ISBN:

     (While there are definitely a large number of Japanese cookbooks out there with detailed instructions and measurements, it was this freestyle cooking philosophy I most frequently encountered.)

4. (music) Ellipsis of Latin freestyle, a form of electronic dance music.
   • 2012 March 2, Nick Minichino, “A Quick Primer On Freestyle: 1980s Dancepop's Most Underheralded Genre”, in The Village Voice‎^[3], archived from the original on 16 November 2022:

     A not always visibly but nevertheless significantly Latin music, freestyle originated alongside hip-hop in the Bronx and achieved a quicker yet more fleeting commercial success. The style’s similarities to contemporaneous R&B and hi-NRG endeared it to pop radio programmers, […]

   • 2012, Simon Reynolds, Energy Flash, Soft Skull Press, page 281:

     Already a veteran DJ-producer on New York’s freestyle scene, 23-year-old Frankie Bones was flown to England for an Energy rave.

Derived terms

• freestyler
• freestyle wrestling
• freestylist
• Latin freestyle
• Miami freestyle

Translations

sports event where competitors can choose their own method of participation

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 自由式 (zh) (zìyóushì)

• Finnish: freestyle (fi)
• Spanish: estilo libre m

swimming event

• Bulgarian: свободен стил m (svoboden stil)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 自由泳 (zh) (zìyóuyǒng), 自由式 (zh) (zìyóushì) (Taiwan)

• Finnish: vapaauinti (fi)
• French: nage libre (fr) f
• German: Freistilschwimmen n, Freistil (de) m
• Greek: ελεύθερο (el) (eléfthero)
• Hungarian: szabadúszás
• Italian: stile libero m, ginnastica a corpo libero
• Japanese: フリースタイル (ja) (furīsutairu), 自由形 (ja) (じゆうがた, jiyūgata)
• Korean: 프리스타일 (peuriseutail), 자유형(自由型) (ko) (jayuhyeong)
• Portuguese: estilo livre (pt) m, nado livre m
• Spanish: natación libre f
• Swedish: frisim (sv) n

front crawl

• Bulgarian: кроул m (kroul)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 自由式 (zi⁶ jau⁴ sik¹), 捷泳 (zit³ wing⁶)

  Hokkien: 掠篙泅 (zh-min-nan) (lia̍h-ko-siû), 搤跤泅 (iah-kha-siû), 仆水泅 (phak-chúi-siû), 自由式 (chū-iû-sek)

  Mandarin: 自由泳 (zh) (zìyóuyǒng), 自由式 (zh) (zìyóushì), 捷泳 (zh) (jiéyǒng), 爬泳 (zh) (páyǒng) (mainland China)

• Danish: fri svømning
• Finnish: krooli (fi), vapaauinti (fi)
• French: crawl (fr) m
• German: Freistilschwimmen n, Freistil (de) m
• Greek: ελεύθερο (el) (eléfthero)
• Hungarian: gyorsúszás (hu)
• Italian: bracciata libera
• Japanese: フリースタイル (furīsutairu)
• Korean: 프리스타일 (peuriseutail)
• Māori: kau tāwhai, kau tāhoe
• Norwegian: fri svømning
• Persian: شنای آزاد (šenâ-ye âzâd), کرال سینه (kerâl-e sine)
• Portuguese: crawl (pt) m
• Russian: во́льный стиль m (vólʹnyj stilʹ), фриста́йл (ru) m (fristájl)
• Spanish: crol frontal m
• Swedish: frisim (sv)
• Yiddish: קלאַפֿטערשוווּם m (klaftershvum), קלאַפֿטער m (klafter)

style of wrestling

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 自由式 (zh) (zìyóushì), 自由式摔跤 (zìyóushì shuāijiāo)

• Finnish: vapaapaini (fi)
• Greek: ελεύθερη (el) f (eléftheri)
• Persian: کشتی آزاد (košti-ye âzâd)
• Portuguese: vale-tudo (pt) m
• Spanish: valetodo m

form of rapping

• Finnish: freestyle (fi)
• French: freestyle (fr) m
• Polish: freestyle (pl) m, fristajl m
• Portuguese: freestyle (pt)
• Spanish: freestyle m

Verb

freestyle (third-person singular simple present freestyles, present participle freestyling, simple past and past participle freestyled)

1. (intransitive, especially in rap music) To improvise one's own style; to ad-lib.
   • 2016, Jensen Karp, Kanye West Owes Me $300: And Other True Stories from a White Rapper Who Almost Made It Big, Crown, →ISBN, page 47:

     And just hours after the famous golfer died in an airplane accident, I freestyled to a less talented rival, “Stop now before you get hurt / Your whole style should never take flight like Payne Stewart.”

2. (intransitive) To improvise one's dance moves; dance freely.
3. (intransitive) To improvise something in an unrestricted way.

Translations

to ad-lib in rap music

• Dutch: freestylen (nl)
• Greek: αυτοσχεδιάζω (el) (aftoschediázo)
• Māori: ohia
• Polish: freestyle'ować, fristajlować

to improvise

• Icelandic: spuna
• Swedish: brösta, fjädra (sv), frilira, frirälsa, fri­stila, höfta (sv), kråma (sv), pråla (sv), spåna (sv), svansa, svissa; improvisera (sv), impulsera, extemporera (sv)

Finnish

Etymology

From English freestyle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfriːstɑi̯l/, [ˈfriːs̠tɑ̝i̯l]
• Rhymes: -iːstɑil
• Syllabification^(key): free‧style
• Hyphenation^(key): free‧style

Noun

freestyle

1. freestyle (sports event in which the participants can choose their own style, especially freestyle skiing)
2. freestyle (style of rapping)

Usage notes

• As is the case with many loanwords, the inflection of this term is problematic. Kotus recommends type 8 (nalle) in writing, as shown below, but in speech the declension usually follows type 5 (risti) as if the word were spelled friistaili.

Declension

Inflection of freestyle (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)
nominative		freestyle	freestylet
genitive		freestylen	freestylejen
partitive		freestyleä	freestylejä
illative		freestyleen	freestyleihin
		singular	plural
nominative		freestyle	freestylet
accusative	nom.	freestyle	freestylet
	gen.	freestylen
genitive		freestylen	freestylejen freestylein rare
partitive		freestyleä	freestylejä
inessive		freestylessä	freestyleissä
elative		freestylestä	freestyleistä
illative		freestyleen	freestyleihin
adessive		freestylellä	freestyleillä
ablative		freestyleltä	freestyleiltä
allative		freestylelle	freestyleille
essive		freestylenä	freestyleinä
translative		freestyleksi	freestyleiksi
abessive		freestylettä	freestyleittä
instructive		—	freestylein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of freestyle (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative freestyleni freestyleni accusative nom. freestyleni freestyleni gen. freestyleni genitive freestyleni freestylejeni freestyleini rare partitive freestyleäni freestylejäni inessive freestylessäni freestyleissäni elative freestylestäni freestyleistäni illative freestyleeni freestyleihini adessive freestylelläni freestyleilläni ablative freestyleltäni freestyleiltäni allative freestylelleni freestyleilleni essive freestylenäni freestyleinäni translative freestylekseni freestyleikseni abessive freestylettäni freestyleittäni instructive — — comitative — freestyleineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative freestylesi freestylesi accusative nom. freestylesi freestylesi gen. freestylesi genitive freestylesi freestylejesi freestyleisi rare partitive freestyleäsi freestylejäsi inessive freestylessäsi freestyleissäsi elative freestylestäsi freestyleistäsi illative freestyleesi freestyleihisi adessive freestylelläsi freestyleilläsi ablative freestyleltäsi freestyleiltäsi allative freestylellesi freestyleillesi essive freestylenäsi freestyleinäsi translative freestyleksesi freestyleiksesi abessive freestylettäsi freestyleittäsi instructive — — comitative — freestyleinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative freestylemme freestylemme accusative nom. freestylemme freestylemme gen. freestylemme genitive freestylemme freestylejemme freestyleimme rare partitive freestyleämme freestylejämme inessive freestylessämme freestyleissämme elative freestylestämme freestyleistämme illative freestyleemme freestyleihimme adessive freestylellämme freestyleillämme ablative freestyleltämme freestyleiltämme allative freestylellemme freestyleillemme essive freestylenämme freestyleinämme translative freestyleksemme freestyleiksemme abessive freestylettämme freestyleittämme instructive — — comitative — freestyleinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative freestylenne freestylenne accusative nom. freestylenne freestylenne gen. freestylenne genitive freestylenne freestylejenne freestyleinne rare partitive freestyleänne freestylejänne inessive freestylessänne freestyleissänne elative freestylestänne freestyleistänne illative freestyleenne freestyleihinne adessive freestylellänne freestyleillänne ablative freestyleltänne freestyleiltänne allative freestylellenne freestyleillenne essive freestylenänne freestyleinänne translative freestyleksenne freestyleiksenne abessive freestylettänne freestyleittänne instructive — — comitative — freestyleinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative freestylensä freestylensä accusative nom. freestylensä freestylensä gen. freestylensä genitive freestylensä freestylejensä freestyleinsä rare partitive freestyleään freestyleänsä freestylejään freestylejänsä inessive freestylessään freestylessänsä freestyleissään freestyleissänsä elative freestylestään freestylestänsä freestyleistään freestyleistänsä illative freestyleensä freestyleihinsä adessive freestylellään freestylellänsä freestyleillään freestyleillänsä ablative freestyleltään freestyleltänsä freestyleiltään freestyleiltänsä allative freestylelleen freestylellensä freestyleilleen freestyleillensä essive freestylenään freestylenänsä freestyleinään freestyleinänsä translative freestylekseen freestyleksensä freestyleikseen freestyleiksensä abessive freestylettään freestylettänsä freestyleittään freestyleittänsä instructive — — comitative — freestyleineen freestyleinensä

Synonyms

• (freestyle skiing): freestylehiihto

Derived terms

compounds

• freestylehiihto

Further reading

• “freestyle”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[4] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English freestyle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fʁis.tajl/

• Audio (France (Hérault)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Saint-Étienne)):

  (file)

Noun

freestyle m (uncountable)

1. (sports) freestyle (skiing and snowboarding) (freestyle skiing, snowboarding) ellipsis of sports de glisse freestyle

Coordinate terms

• parc a neiges
• slopestyle

Derived terms

• ski freestyle
• snowboard freestyle
• sport de glisse freestyle
• sports de glisse freestyle
• surf des neiges freestyle

Polish

Alternative forms

• fristajl

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English freestyle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfri.stajl/
• Rhymes: -istajl
• Syllabification: free‧style

Noun

freestyle m inan

1. (sports) freestyle (sports event where competitors can choose their own method of participation)
2. (music) freestyle (form of rapping in which the emcee makes up lyrics while performing)

Declension

Declension of freestyle

	singular	plural
nominative	freestyle	freestyle'e
genitive	freestyle'u	freestyle'i
dative	freestyle'owi	freestyle'om
accusative	freestyle	freestyle'e
instrumental	freestyle'em	freestyle'ami
locative	freestyle'u	freestyle'ach
vocative	freestyle'u	freestyle'e

Derived terms

adjectives

• freestyle'owy
• freestylowy

noun

• freestylowiec

verb

• freestyle'ować

Further reading

• “freestyle”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[5] (in Polish)

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English freestyle.

Noun

freestyle m (uncountable)

1. freestyle (form of rapping)

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɾistail/ [ˈfɾis.t̪ai̯l]
• Rhymes: -istail

Noun

freestyle m (uncountable)

1. freestyle

Swedish

FWOTD – 8 June 2019

Etymology

Pseudo-anglicism, derived from freestyle, which was the genericized trademark of the Sony Walkman portable cassette player in Sweden.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɹiːstajl/
• With a more or less English accent.

Noun

freestyle c

1. A walkman, a portable audio cassette player.
   • 1997, Annika Thor, Sanning eller konsekvens, Bonnier Carlsen (publ., 2009 ed.).
   • En freestyle är ju en ganska dyr sak, en sån som man inte köper själv för månadspengen.

     A walkman is as we all know a pretty expensive thing; you don't buy one of those by yourself from your monthly pocket money.

2. (skiing) freestyle
3. (music) freestyle (form of rapping)

Declension

Declension of freestyle

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	freestyle	freestyles
	definite	freestylen	freestylens
plural	indefinite	freestylar	freestylars
	definite	freestylarna	freestylarnas

References

• “freestyle”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “freestyle”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)