curvet

[ noun kur-vit; verb ker-vet, kur-vit ]
/ noun ˈkɜr vɪt; verb kərˈvɛt, ˈkɜr vɪt /
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noun

Dressage. a leap of a horse from a rearing position, in which it springs up with the hind legs outstretched as the forelegs descend.

verb (used without object), cur·vet·ted or cur·vet·ed, cur·vet·ting or cur·vet·ing.

to leap in a curvet, as a horse; cause one's horse to do this.
to leap and frisk.

verb (used with object), cur·vet·ted or cur·vet·ed, cur·vet·ting or cur·vet·ing.

to cause to make a curvet.

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Origin of curvet

1565–75; earlier curvetto < Italian corvetta < French courbette, equivalent to courb(er) to bend, curve (≪ Latin curvāre; cf. curve) + -ette -ette

Words nearby curvet

curvature of space, curve, curve ball, curve fitting, curve of occlusion, curvet, curvette, curvilinear, curvilinear coordinate system, curvilinear tracery, curvy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to curvet

plummet, skip, dive, drop, bound, bounce, surge, take, hop, fall, vault, top, quiver, barge, rattle, pop, hurdle, shake, trip, caper

Example sentences from the Web for curvet

British Dictionary definitions for curvet

curvet
/ (kɜːˈvɛt) /

noun

dressage a low leap with all four feet off the ground

verb -vets, -vetting, -vetted, -vets, -veting or -veted

dressage to make or cause to make such a leap
(intr) to prance or frisk about

Word Origin for curvet

C16: from Old Italian corvetta, from Old French courbette, from courber to bend, from Latin curvāre
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