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gait
/ ɡeɪt /
noun
- manner of walking or running; bearing
- (used esp of horses and dogs) the pattern of footsteps at various speeds, as the walk, trot, canter, etc, each pattern being distinguished by a particular rhythm and footfall
verb
- tr to teach (a horse) a particular gait
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of gait1
Example Sentences
Instead, the poles seem to enable people to adopt a more normal walking gait, with longer and quicker strides, particularly while carrying a pack or climbing a hill.
That gait assistance is also why poles are helpful for people with Parkinson’s and other movement disorders.
The person’s gait is uneven, as if they were carrying a load on their left hip.
They look terrible compared to their smooth-striding rivals—but imagine how much better they could have been with more efficient gaits.
There may not be a database of gaits and heartbeats yet, but the technology is here.
The research on gait may also be used to make robots move in a more natural way.
“Animals with sloping backs have huge reserves of stamina, because it is a very economic gait,” said Jean.
They are the ultimate Vatican insiders, able to identify cardinals by their gait alone.
Bicycles don't break their legs, they don't need to be fed, and on a modern road, their gait is a lot smoother.
Those in white and walking with a contemplative gait evoked innocence.
Poindexter ordered his men to fall in, and they followed Porter, but at a more leisurely gait.
She liked the rapid gait at which they spun along, and the quick, sharp sound of the horses' hoofs on the hard road.
Bascomb spurred his tired horse cruelly, and they got past Hot Springs at a fairly good gait.
Bascomb fell silent again, and for a mile or more he kept up his steady, swinging gait.
The other species have a tendency in the same direction, the legs being bowed and the gait rolling.
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Related Words
More About Gait
What does gait mean?
Gait means the way a person or animal walks or runs.
Gait is often used in the context of horses and show dogs when analyzing how they walk, trot, and run. The human gait is studied in medicine and in sports like running. Gait can also be used as a verb meaning to teach a horse a particular gait.
Example: You can tell that his gait is affected by a limp.
Where does gait come from?
The first records of gait in English come from the early 1500s. It comes from Scots, which is English as spoken in Scotland. Gait is a spelling variant of gate, which in Scotland can be used to mean “a path” or “a way of behaving.”
Horses don’t just walk and run. They trot, canter, gallop, and move in a way called a rack (which means they move the legs on one side of their body and then the other). Each of these is a different gait. At dog shows, dogs are judged on their gait, which depending on the breed is often a kind of regal prancing.
You have a gait, and it’s different from everyone else’s. In fact, the field of biometrics is developing ways to measure a person’s gait as a unique identifier, like a fingerprint. In medicine, an unsteady or wide gait can be a marker of a neurological condition. Patients who’ve had a procedure like a hip replacement may need therapy to return their gait to normal. Competitive runners often work to make sure they don’t use an improper gait, which can lead to painful conditions.
Did you know ... ?
How is gait used in real life?
Gait is commonly used in the analysis of how horses and dogs walk and run. Humans’ gait is important to the sport of running as well as in some medical contexts.
Today in 1878, Eadweard Muybridge took photos analyzing a horse's galloping gait. Foundation of motion pictures. pic.twitter.com/ykbrSuHEI6
— Charles Bergquist (@cbquist) June 15, 2015
When your stride is so bad it's painful. A look at how a runner's gait can cause injury: http://t.co/2O7Iv61lzx pic.twitter.com/XUr9vuUAEC
— Stefanie Ilgenfritz (@stefaniei) September 23, 2014
Thanks for coming to my stream! I sketched my characters running.
I enjoy how different gaits can give so much context to characters pic.twitter.com/tjeD6vJHHo— Juby 쥬비 🎻(･ิω･ิ ) (@CutTimeComic) October 3, 2017
Try using gait!
Is gait used correctly in the following sentence?
Make sure you don’t have too wide of a gait when running—you may hurt your knee.
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