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definitions

cavort

[ kuh-vawrt ]
/ kəˈvɔrt /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cavort ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to prance or caper about.
to behave in a high-spirited, festive manner; make merry.

RELATED WORDS

gambol, romp, caper, play, rollick, dance, roughhouse, revel, frisk, sport, caracole, horseplay

Nearby words

  1. cavity wall,
  2. cavo-relievo,
  3. cavogram,
  4. cavography,
  5. cavolo nero,
  6. cavosurface,
  7. cavosurface angle,
  8. cavour,
  9. cavum,
  10. cavy

Origin of cavort

1785–95, Americanism; earlier cavault, perhaps cur(vet) + vault2
Related formsca·vort·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cavort

British Dictionary definitions for cavort

cavort

/ (kəˈvɔːt) /

verb

(intr) to prance; caper
Derived Formscavorter, noun

Word Origin for cavort

C19: perhaps from curvet
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
Word Origin and History for cavort

cavort

v.

1793, cauvaut, American English, of uncertain origin, sometimes said to be an alteration of curvet "a leap by a horse," from French and related to curve (v.). Or perhaps from ca- colloquial intensive prefix + vault "to jump, leap." Modern form attested by 1829. Related: Cavorted; cavorting.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper