caracole

[ kar-uh-kohl ]
See synonyms for caracole on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a half turn executed by a horse and rider.

  2. Rare. a winding staircase.

verb (used without object),car·a·coled, car·a·col·ing.
  1. to execute caracoles; wheel.

Origin of caracole

1
1650–60; <French <Spanish caracol snail, spiral shell or stair, turning movement (of a horse)

Other words from caracole

  • car·a·col·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use caracole in a sentence

  • His mettled horse caracoled under his touch with a grace that made a long "Ah!"

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
  • As he rode through the gathering darkness he caracoled with an enviable lightness of heart.

  • For them his horse caracoled on Stonefield's causeway, his shoulders straightened, and his bonnet rose.

    John Splendid | Neil Munro
  • Beyond the village, on the opposite hill, a white Arab charger caracoled, a red cloak gleamed.

    The Desert Drum | Robert Hichens
  • Alfred Grnfeld, of Vienna, caracoled across the keys in an amiably dashing style.

    Franz Liszt | James Huneker

British Dictionary definitions for caracole

caracole

caracol (ˈkærəˌkɒl)

/ (ˈkærəˌkəʊl) /


noun
  1. dressage a half turn to the right or left

  2. a spiral staircase

verb(intr)
  1. dressage to execute a half turn to the right or left

Origin of caracole

1
C17: from French, from Spanish caracol snail, spiral staircase, turn

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012