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somersault

Pronunciation: /ˈsʌməsɒlt, -sɔːlt/
Translate somersault | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of somersault

noun

  • an acrobatic movement in which a person turns head over heels in the air or on the ground and lands or finishes on their feet:a backward somersault figurativePaula’s stomach turned a somersault

verb

[no object]
  • perform a somersault, or make a similar movement accidentally:his car somersaulted into a ditch

Origin:

mid 16th century (as a noun): from Old French sombresault, from Provençal sobresaut, from sobre 'above' + saut 'leap'

Spelling help

Spell somersault with somer- at the beginning; the ending is -sault.

somersault in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of somersault in the US English dictionary

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