cavort

verb

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.

1. To prance, frolic, gambol.

   “[…] when the young man whirled his horse, “hazed” Jupiter in circles and belaboured him with a rawhide quirt, […] He ceased his cavortings […]”

2. To move about carelessly, playfully or boisterously.

   “And dragon-flies sported around and cavorted, / As poets say dragon-flies ought to do; […]”

   “He whirligigged and pirouetted, dancing and cavorting round like an inebriated ape.”

3. To engage in extravagant pursuits, especially of a sexual nature.

   “As he moves back into the shadows, the stage is taken over by a troupe of Pan-like dancers, leaping and cavorting in an obscene ballet.”

   “We can't even write stories about moguls like Rupert Murdoch or Barry Diller unless it involves photographs of them cavorting with young flesh.”