Bounce

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /baʊns/

Definitions

1. To spring back elastically after hitting a surface, or to move up and down repeatedly with rhythmic energy
2. To rebound after striking a surface or to exhibit a lively, energetic movement characterized by an upward and downward motion
3. To spring away from a surface upon impact or to demonstrate a vigorous back-and-forth motion in various activities

Etymology: The verb "bounce" began as a noisy, physical word. Middle English had "bounsen" and "bunsen," meaning to beat or thump, and the sense of rebounding came later as the image of something struck and thudding back. The Scots "bunce" and "bonce" preserve the same family of meaning, and the word's close relatives across the North Sea are all about impact and noise: Dutch "bonzen" means to thump, knock or throb, and West Frisian "bûnzje" means to throb or pulsate. Its exact origin is unclear. It may be imitative, a sound made by a heavy blow, or it may be closely related to "bump," with Middle English "bonchen" (to pound) and Dutch "bonken" (to bump) as further relatives. Because so many neighbouring languages share the same pounding sound, the word probably grew from the noise of something hitting hard rather than from a single borrowed source.

Synonyms: rebound, spring, jump, ricochet, vault

Antonyms: sink, settle, drop, fall, descend