Etymologically
Log in

cavort

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 02:24. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kəˈvɔːt/ (UK); /kəˈvɔɹt/ (US)[1]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.[2][3] It is perhaps an alteration of curvet “a leap of a horse”,[4][5][2][6] or a blend of curvet and vault.[3] Etymonline also suggests a colloquial intensive prefix ca- added to vault.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

To prance or bustle nimbly, first recorded as cauvaut in American English (1793).[2][5]

Semantic evolution

It was first said of a horse or its rider, and then of people generally.[7] The modern form is recorded from 1794 in the OED and from 1829 in Barnhart.[7][5][2] It later came to mean behaving in a high-spirited or extravagant way,[6][3] sometimes with a sexual suggestion.[1]

Timeline

  • 1793 – cauvaut, to prance.[2][5]
  • 1794 – to curvet, prance, said of a horse or rider.[7][6]
  • 1829 – the modern form cavort.[5][2]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To leap or prance about in a lively way; to caper.
  2. To have boisterous fun; to make merry or behave extravagantly.

Word family

  • cavorter
  • curvet
  • vault
  • caper
  • prance

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  4. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press