'skid-resistant' originates from modern English, specifically the combination of the noun 'skid' and the adjective 'resistant', where 'skid' originally referred to sliding or a sliding plank and 'resistant' comes from Latin roots meaning 'to stand against'.

'skid' changed from Old Norse/Old English words (e.g. Old Norse 'skíð' meaning 'piece of wood, ski') into Middle English 'skid' meaning 'a plank or sliding motion'; 'resistant' comes from Latin 'resistere' via Old French/modern French 'résistant' and Middle English/French borrowings, and the compound 'skid-resistant' was formed in modern English to describe surfaces that resist skidding.

Initially, 'skid' referred to a sliding piece of wood or the action of sliding, and 'resistant' meant 'opposing' or 'withstanding'; over time these combined into the modern adjectival sense 'designed to prevent or reduce skidding.'