cavort
English · Thesaurus
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cavort
- /kəˈvɔːt/ UK
- /kəˈvɔɹt/ Canada, US
- /kəˈvoːt/ Australia, New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)t
Where it comes from
Originated in the United States in 1793, as cauvaut, applying to horses, probably from the colloquial intensifying prefix ca-/ka- + vault (“jump, leap”); later generalized. Early sources connect it to cavault, a term for a certain demeanor of horses. Alternatively, a variation of curvet.
verb cavorts · cavorting · cavorted
- To prance, frolic, gambol. […] when the young man whirled his horse, “hazed” Jupiter in circles and belaboured him with a rawhide quirt, […] He ceased his cavortings […]
- To move about carelessly, playfully or boisterously. And dragon-flies sported around and cavorted, / As poets say dragon-flies ought to do; […]
- To engage in extravagant pursuits, especially of a sexual nature. As he moves back into the shadows, the stage is taken over by a troupe of Pan-like dancers, leaping and cavorting in an obscene ballet.
Translations
Every language
verb move/play boisterously
| Español | retozar, juguetear |
|---|---|
| Português | curvetear |
| Français | cabrioler |
| Deutsch | herumtollen, herumtanzen |
| Italiano | fare capriole |
| Русский | резви́ться rezvítʹsja |
Talk about this word "cavort." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cavort. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cavort. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cavort "cavort." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cavort.Cite this
@misc{cavort_2026,
title = {cavort},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cavort},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
