somersault
noun
- Acrobatic exercise
verb
- to literally or figuratively perform a somersault, a gymnastic movement in which one completes a full rotation on the ground by bringing their feet over their head
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈsʌməˌsɒlt/ / /ˈsʌməˌsɔːlt/ / /ˈsʊməˌsɒlt/
noun
Etymology: From French sombresault (now obsolete, compare French sursaut, soubresaut), from Old Occitan sobresalt, from sobre- (“over, above”) + salt (“jump”), from Latin suprā (“over”) + saltus (“jump”). Doublet of soubresaut. Cognate with Spanish sobresaltar (“to spook, startle”) and Portuguese sobressaltar (“to spook, scare, jump over”).
- Starting on one's feet, an instance of rotating one's body 360 degrees while airborne or on the ground, with one's feet passing over one's head.
verb
Etymology: From French sombresault (now obsolete, compare French sursaut, soubresaut), from Old Occitan sobresalt, from sobre- (“over, above”) + salt (“jump”), from Latin suprā (“over”) + saltus (“jump”). Doublet of soubresaut. Cognate with Spanish sobresaltar (“to spook, startle”) and Portuguese sobressaltar (“to spook, scare, jump over”).
- To perform a somersault.
“The performer somersaulted all the way across the stage.”
“He half-carries, half-drags it back to the stern, making sure the heat exchanger stays in the water, and somersaults it into the zodiac.”