Somersault

[Cacasenno]

Somersault



SYLLABICATION: som·er·sault
PRONUNCIATION: smr-sôlt
VARIANT FORMS: also sum·mer·sault
NOUN:1. An acrobatic stunt in which the body rolls forward or backward in a complete revolution with the knees bent and the feet coming over the head. Also called somerset. 2. A complete reversal, as of sympathies or opinions. also called regionally Regional tumbleset.
INTRANSITIVE VERB: Inflected forms: som·er·sault·ed, som·er·sault·ing, som·er·saults
To execute a somersault.
ETYMOLOGY: Obsolete French sombresault, variant of sobresault, from Old Provençal sobresaut : sobre-, above (from Latin supr; see uper in Appendix I) + saut, leap (from Latin saltus, from past participle of salre, to leap; see sel- in Appendix I).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

[sluggo]

Fascinating etymology, Cacasenno.

This inspired further reading on the name of the cities Sault Sainte-Marie:
The city name originates from "Saults de Sainte-Marie," archaic French for "Saint Mary's Falls", a reference to the rapids of Saint Marys River. Etymologically, the word "sault" comes from an archaic spelling of "saut", the French word for "leap" or "jump" (similar to somersault), although there are citations dating back to 1600 for the use of the "sault" spelling to mean a waterfall or rapids.

In modern French, however, the words "chutes" or "rapides" are more usual, and "sault" survives almost exclusively in geographic names dating from the 17th century. (See also Long Sault, Ontario and Grand Falls/Grand-Sault, New Brunswick, two other place names where "sault" also carries this meaning.) {Wiki}

[Cacasenno]

Salto Angel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Falls