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
Well, he rode no less than three times up and down the same street, and regularly under a certain balcony; let his horse curvet so senselessly that one dreaded an accident every moment.
From Riven Bonds. Vol. II. A Novel, in Two Volumes by E. Werner
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 S. C. (Stephen Cullen) Carpenter
After a moment or two of this exercise, with a quick curvet, the insect betook himself to the roof of the piazza, where he disappeared among the bordering vines.
From Eye Spy Afield with Nature Among Flowers and Animate Things by W. Hamilton (William Hamilton) Gibson
The sleek bay plunged and curveted, so that my own sober brown began to dance in rivalry.
From Lost Sir Massingberd, v. 1/2 A Romance of Real Life by James Payn
The officers galloped and curveted about on their fiery steeds, and finally, the cannon went boom—boom.
From Music-Study in Germany from the Home Correspondence of Amy Fay by Amy Fay
She turned her head and saw him looking after her, and in her pleasure at the sight she reined in Ali until he reared erect in the air and curveted proudly.
From Only a Girl: or, A Physician for the Soul. by Wilhelmine von Hillern
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 Juliette Augusta Magill Kinzie
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 Raymond Moreau Crosby
"Make way there—out of the road, Mère Madou," cried a dragoon, curveting his horse in such a fashion as almost to upset ass and "cantiniére" together, "the staff is coming."
From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 1, No. 3, August, 1850. by Various
By dodging from one of these covers to another, he arrived undiscovered at a point whence he could see the caravan and the curveting mêlée which surrounded it.
From Overland by J. W. (John William) De Forest
"I like you better, Charley," said she, curveting her horse, and passaging him alternately from side to side.
From Roland Cashel Volume I (of II) by Charles James Lever
One of the horses appeared more frightened than the other two—at least he was squealing and curveting in a much more violent manner.
From Bruin The Grand Bear Hunt by Johann Baptist Zwecker
"Oh, do stop!" she continued to the horse who now on the level again, began sidling and curveting.
From Dulcibel A Tale of Old Salem by Howard Pyle
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
By the time the steed had pranced and curvetted a little, Errington's thoughts had turned into some of their usual graver channels, and Katherine Liddell was—well, not absolutely forgotten.
From A Crooked Path A Novel by Mrs. Alexander
He rode a black horse that pranced and curvetted nervously.
From Robert Tournay A Romance of the French Revolution by William Sage
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
I sat on a slippery rock, In the grey cliff's opal shade, And the wanton waves went curvetting by Like a roystering cavalcade.
From Mr. Punch at the Seaside by Various
Kids curvetting in idiotic pride over imaginary mountain peaks on the rough ground of what is Madison Square?
From Fifth Avenue by Arthur Bartlett Maurice
The day of our reception, in curvetting about, he fell from his horse and had suffered various pains ever since.
From Southern Arabia by Theodore Bent
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