Somersault
Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 7:44 am
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.
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.