CURVET

curvet, vaulting

(noun) a light leap by a horse in which both hind legs leave the ground before the forelegs come down

curvet

(verb) perform a leap where both hind legs come off the ground, of a horse

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Verb

curvet (third-person singular simple present curvets, present participle curvetting or curveting, simple past and past participle curvetted or curveted)

(intransitive) Of a horse or, by extension, another animal: to leap about, to frolic.

(transitive) To cause to leap about, dart or jump.

(of a bird) To fly or swim with darting movements.

(figuratively) (of a person) To prance; to caper, frolic.

(figuratively) (of an object) To jump, skip, shake.

Noun

curvet (plural curvets)

A particular leap in which a horse raises both forelegs at once, equally advanced, and, as the forelegs are falling, raises the hind legs, so that all the legs are in the air at once.

A prank; a frolic.

Source: Wiktionary

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Cur"vet (kr"vt or kr-vt"; 277), n. Etym: [OE. corvet, It.corvetta: cf. F. courbette. See Curve, and cf. Corvetto.]

1. (Man.)

Definition: A particular leap of a horse, when he raises both his fore legs at once, equally advanced, and, as his fore legs are falling, raises his hind legs, so that all his legs are in the air at once.

2. A prank; a frolic.

Cur"vet, v. i. [imp. & p.p. Curveted or -vetted; p.pr. & vb. n. Curveting or -vetting.] Etym: [Cf. It. corvettare. See Curvet, n.]

1. To make a curvet; to leap; to bound. 'Oft and high he did curvet." Drayton.

2. To leap and frisk; to frolic. Shak.

Cur"vet, v. t.

Definition: To cause to curvet. Landor.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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