acrobatic

Etymology

It is formed from English acrobat + -ic,^[2][3][4] probably on the model of French acrobatique,^[3] which is recorded from 1842;^[2] Merriam-Webster allows that it may be borrowed from the French adjective,^[4] and Webster's Third takes it from French.^[5] The base noun is from French acrobate (“rope dancer; tightrope walker”),^[2][3][6][7] from Byzantine Greek ἀκροβάτης (akrobátēs, “acrobat”), a compound of Ancient Greek ἄκρος (ákros, “topmost, at the tip”) and an agent element from the stem of βαίνω (baínō, “to go, walk”).^[2][3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Relating to an acrobat: 1807, Merriam-Webster Unabridged's first known use.^[4] The OED's first quotation is from the Morning Chronicle of 23 April 1838;^[2] Etymonline gives 1848,^[3] and the 1989 edition of the OED had 1861.^[8]

Semantic evolution

From the performer the adjective spread to anything showing an acrobat's agility: the OED records it in extended use, and the French adjective took on a broader sense from 1894.^[2] In dance, Merriam-Webster applies it to movements performed with contortions, back bends, high kicks, somersaults or the tossing of one dancer by a partner.^[4] The plural noun acrobatics, acrobatic feats, also used figuratively, is recorded from 1882,^[8] and Merriam-Webster records the singular noun, an acrobatic trick or exercise, from 1952.^[4] Wiktionary also gives the looser sense "vigorously active".^[1]

Timeline

• 1807 – relating to an acrobat.^[4] The OED's first quotation is from 1838.^[2]
• 1882 – plural noun, acrobatic feats.^[8]
• 1952 – noun, an acrobatic trick or exercise.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of, relating to, or typical of an acrobat or acrobatics: an acrobatic leap.^[4][2][1]
2. Of dance: performed with contortions, back bends, high kicks, somersaults or lifts in which one dancer throws another.^[4]
3. Showing great agility; vigorously active: an acrobatic goalkeeper.^[2][1]

Noun

1. An acrobatic trick, performance or exercise.^[4]

Word family

• acrobatically

Related words

• acrobat
• acrobatics
• aerobatics
• acropolis
• acronym

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ Gove, Philip Babcock, ed. (1961), Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam
6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
7. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
8. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press