curvet
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
-
to leap in a curvet, as a horse; cause one's horse to do this.
-
to leap and frisk.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
-
dressage to make or cause to make such a leap
-
(intr) to prance or frisk about
Etymology
Origin of curvet
1565–75; earlier curvetto < Italian corvetta < French courbette, equivalent to courb(er) to bend, curve (≪ Latin curvāre; cf. curve) + -ette -ette ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Tigers walk treadmills, horses curvet superbly and Harry Rittely sits atop seven tables and topples over backwards.
From Time Magazine Archive
Elizabeth's Winston, pestered by a swarm of thunder flies, began to curvet alarmingly.
From Time Magazine Archive
When my bright scabbard bounded by thy side, And shouts of victory our toils repaid, The stately curvet, and the pacing stride, None of our troops so gracefully displayed.
From The Mirror of Taste, and Dramatic Censor, Vol. I, No. 6, June 1810 by Carpenter, S. C. (Stephen Cullen)
A low whinny and something like a suppressed curvet was Dick's reply, and it was followed by a sharp exclamation.
From The Red Mustang by Stoddard, William O.
Pannade, pa-nād′, n. the curvet of a horse.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various
Jerry pranced and curveted, and finally shot forward his rider, or rather his burden, headforemost, a distance of several feet into the water.
From Wau-bun The Early Day in the Northwest by Kinzie, Juliette Augusta Magill
She looked up, and with surprise lighting her dark-blue eyes, beheld a gentleman mounted on a fine black Arabian courser, that curveted gracefully and capriciously before the cottage gate.
From The Missing Bride by Southworth, Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte
And at this the dog yelped again and curveted sheer across the room.
From A Transient Guest and Other Episodes by Saltus, Edgar
The bay horses curveted and pranced, the coachman sprang to his seat, a big red motor backed, snorted, honked, and whizzed past them.
From Captivating Mary Carstairs by Crosby, Raymond Moreau
He was silent for a moment, and the horse curveted gracefully under him, as if in doubt whether to gallop away again, or to ask his rider to get off.
From Ahead of the Army by Emerson, C. Chase
A new and strange paralysis of all his emotions seemed to have crept over Durkin, as he watched the cab door slammed shut and the horses go plunging and curveting out through the crowd.
From Phantom Wires A Novel by Brown, Arthur William
At this marvel he stared in that silence which is the highest power of joy: a presentiment had been his that such a horse, curveting on blue rockers, would be found on this very morning.
From The Seeker by Wilson, Harry Leon
Twelve thousand horsemen, decorated with the most gorgeous trappings of military show, and mounted on the fleetest Arabian chargers, were prancing and curveting in all directions.
From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, February, 1852 by
They had passed the mounted herders, and the colts broke their way playfully, dancing, curveting with bowing necks, into the midst of the flock.
From The Rim of the Desert by Anderson, Ada Woodruff
Cancut navigated Birch through some white water below the dam, and Birch went curveting proudly and gracefully along, evidently feeling his oats.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 10, No. 62, December, 1862 by Various
Over Dayton, Ohio, last week curvetted three new little airplanes, undergoing rigorous U. S. Army Air Corps tests in its present search for an advanced type training plane.
From Time Magazine Archive
At Sundra Straits, he curvetted over the mountains and jungles of Sumbawa, Dutch island.
From Time Magazine Archive
Twenty feet above Aslan and Digory he snorted, neighed, and curvetted.
From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis
At a signal from the governor, Captains Pra and Nototherboc disappeared and presently returned to the court-yard mounted on two gigantic bockhockids, on which they curvetted and swept around in gallant style.
From The Goddess of Atvatabar Being the history of the discovery of the interior world and conquest of Atvatabar by Bradshaw, William Richard
Like a voluntary before the piece begins, like the elegant and marvellous sweep of lines with which a scribe surrounds his signature, the bay curvetted and wheeled and danced before the proposed introduction.
From Wych Hazel by Warner, Susan
Alfredo, made his pony caper and look hard to ride, curvetting, sidling, closer and closer.
From Time Magazine Archive
The horses can smell the tiger scent and begin neighing and curvetting, trying to get away from it.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
The young trooper stood one instant looking gratefully after his officer and those curvetting steeds, eager to reach their home and supper.
From Lanier of the Cavalry or, A Week's Arrest by King, Charles
Then there came from astern a hot, puffy breeze, and the schooner stood out on a port tack, curvetting prettily as her sails were trimmed and filled.
From Isle o' Dreams by Coleman, Ralph P. (Ralph Pallen)
As they replaced their lances in the sockets and brought their curvetting mounts to a stand, the corporal saluted me in a most hospitable manner.
From A Volunteer with Pike The True Narrative of One Dr. John Robinson and of His Love for the Fair Señorita Vallois by Bennet, Robert Ames
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
