somersault

Meaning

Noun

Starting on one's feet, an instance of rotating one's body 360 degrees while airborne or on the ground, with one's feet passing over one's head.

Verb

To perform a somersault.

Synonyms

somerset

summersault

summerset

tumble

flip

somersaulting

upside-down position

topple

vault

salto

sommerset

tuba

prance

tumbler

tumbling

turnover

pirouette

volt

acrobatic feat

go head over heels

loop

➿

looping-the-loop

spin

backflip

transformation

tripped

Translations

galipette

Salto

voltereta

Purzelbaum

saut périlleux

capriola

culbute

salto mortal

salto

τούμπα

tombarella

salto mortale

cambalhota

buiteling

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈsʌməˌsɒlt/

Etymology

Cognate with French: sursaut

Cognate with Spanish: sobresaltar

Cognate with Portuguese: sobressaltar

In summary

From French sombresault (now obsolete, compare French sursaut, soubresaut), from Old Occitan sobresalt, from sobre- (“over, above”) + salt (“jump”), from Latin suprā (“over”) + saltus (“jump”). Doublet of soubresaut.
Cognate with Spanish sobresaltar (“to spook, startle”) and Portuguese sobressaltar (“to spook, scare, jump over”).