gambol
/ˈɡæm.bəl/ verb, noun
Forms gambols gamboling gambolling gamboled gambolled
- verb (intransitive) To move about playfully; to frolic.
- verb (UK, West Midlands) To do a forward roll.
- noun An instance of running or skipping about playfully.
- noun An instance of more general frisking or frolicking.
Synonyms
play frolic romp caper lark rollick skylark disport sport cavort frisk run around lark about
Etymology
From earlier gambolde, from Middle French gambade (modern gambade).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A skipping or leaping about in frolic; a hop; a sportive prank.
- To dance and skip about in sport; to frisk; to skip; to play in frolic, like boys or lambs.
Etymology [OE. gambolde, gambaulde, F. gambade, gambol, fr. It. gambata kick, fr. L. gamba leg, akin to F. jambe, OF. also, gambe, fr. L. gamba, hoof or perh. joint: cf. Gr. cam crooked; perh. akin to E. chamber: cf.F. gambiller to kick about. Cf. Jamb, n., Gammon ham, Gambadoes.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “gambol”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details