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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 field, curvature of space, curve, curveball, curve fitting, curvet, curvette, curvilinear, curvilinear coordinate system, curvilinear tracery, curvy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to curvet

bounce, bound, dive, drop, fall, hop, plummet, skip, surge, take, top, vault, barge, bob, buck, canter, caper, clear, gambol, hurdle

How to use curvet in a sentence

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
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