In the early 1800s, a French builder brought the “Russian mountains” to Paris, the capital of France. But Russia was much colder than France, where ice turned soft in the warmer, rainy winters. So the French ran their sleds over wooden rollers. This is the origin of the term “roller coaster.”

The term "coaster" is derived from the fact that these rides spend the majority of their duration "coasting" solely on the power of gravity and momentum rather than being actively propelled by an engine. Historically, the ancestor of the modern roller coaster was the "Russian Mountain" ice slides of the 17th century. However, the specific name "roller coaster" gained popularity in the late 19th century in America. Early versions often used a lift hill to pull the train to a high point, after which the mechanical chain would disengage, allowing the cars to "coast" down the tracks. The "roller" part of the name comes from the early use of wooden rollers or wheels that allowed the sleds or cars to move smoothly over the rails. Even though modern coasters might use magnetic launches or hydraulic boosters to gain initial speed, they are still fundamentally "gravity machines" that rely on the conversion of potential energy into kinetic energy to complete their circuit, which is why the "coasting" moniker remains technically accurate and historically significant.