Definition of SOMERSAULT

somersault

Plural: somersaults

Noun

  • an acrobatic feat in which the feet roll over the head (either forward or backward) and return
  • Starting on one's feet, an instance of rotating one's body 360 degrees while airborne or on the ground, with one's feet passing over one's head.

Verb

  • do a somersault
  • To perform a somersault.

Examples

  • The performer somersaulted all the way across the stage.

Origin / Etymology

From French sombresault (now obsolete, compare French sursaut, soubresaut), from Old Occitan sobresalt, from sobre- (“over, above”) + salt (“jump”), from Latin suprā (“over”) + saltus (“jump”). Doublet of soubresaut.
Cognate with Spanish sobresaltar (“to spook, startle”) and Portuguese sobressaltar (“to spook, scare, jump over”).

Scrabble Score: 12

somersault: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
somersault: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
somersault: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

somersault: valid Words With Friends Word