somersault
pronunciation
How to pronounce somersault in British English:
UK [ˈsʌməsɔ:lt]
How to pronounce somersault in American English:
US [ˈsʌmərsɔlt]
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- Noun:
- an acrobatic feat in which the feet roll over the head (either forward or backward) and return
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- Verb:
- do a somersault
Word Origin
- somersault
- somersault: [16] Somersaults have no connection with ‘summer’. The first element of the word means etymologically ‘over’. It comes from Old French sombresault, an alteration of an earlier sobresault. And this in turn was acquired from Provençal *sobresaut, a compound formed from sobre ‘over, above’ (a descendant of Latin sūpra) and saut ‘jump’ (a descendant of Latin saltus, which has close relatives in English assault, insult, sauté, etc).=> assault, insult, result, sauté
- somersault (n.)
- 1520s, from Middle French sombresault, from Old Provençal sobresaut, from sobre "over" (from Latin supra "over;" see supra-) + saut "a jump," from Latin saltus, from the root of salire "to leap" (see salient (adj.)). Sometimes further corrupted to somerset, etc.
- somersault (v.)
- 1845, from somersault (n.). Related: Somersaulted; somersaulting.
Example
- 1. Did you hear the somersault marathon ?
- 2. He did a brilliant backward somersault .
- 3. Her heart did a somersault .
- 4. And he leapt into the air and did a little somersault .
- 5. Did you know sun wu-kong 's somersault cloud ?