English Explanatory Dictionary

cavort

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To prance, frolic, gambol.
  2. To move about carelessly, playfully or boisterously.
  3. To engage in extravagant pursuits, especially of a sexual nature.

Pronunciation

/kəˈvɔːt/ /kəˈvɔɹt/ en-us-cavort.ogg /kəˈvoːt/ en-au-cavort.ogg

Word forms

cavort cavorts cavorting cavorted

Etymology

Originated in the United States in 1793, as cauvaut, applying to horses, probably from the colloquial intensifying prefix ca-/ka- + vault (“jump, leap”); later generalized. Early sources connect it to cavault, a term for a certain demeanor of horses. Alternatively, a variation of curvet.

Synonyms

romp frolic prance caper

Related words

horse around

Derived words

cavorter cavortingly

Translations

Czech: skotačit Dutch: steigeren Esperanto: pranci Hungarian: ágaskodik Hungarian: táncol
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on C Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary