Bouncing

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈbaʊnsɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Moving repeatedly up and down or forward and back with a quick, springy motion ; rebounding after hitting a surface and changing direction ; moving with energetic, lively steps or actions
2. To move up and down or back and forth repeatedly, often due to elasticity ; to strike a surface and quickly rebound or spring away ; to exhibit lively, brisk, or spirited movement
3. The act of moving with a springy or jerky rhythm ; the process of springing back after impact ; displaying liveliness and vigorous motion in movement or behavior

Etymology: "Bouncing" is the present participle and gerund of "bounce," and the verb itself goes back to Middle English, where "bounsen" and "bunsen" meant "to beat" or "to thump." That original sense of hitting hard survives in the modern meaning of a ball rebounding off a surface, since the motion was once understood as a series of blows. The verb's exact origin is uncertain. It may be imitative, mimicking the sound of a heavy thud, or it may be related to "bump" or to Middle English "bonchen," meaning "to pound." Its relatives are widespread in the Germanic languages. Dutch has "bonzen," meaning "to thump, knock, throb, bounce," and German has "bumsen," meaning "to thud, bang, pound," while West Frisian has "bûnzje," meaning "to throb, bounce, pulsate." Across these cognates, the common thread is the sound and feel of a heavy, repeated blow, and English kept that idea while extending it from a fist or a hammer to a rubber ball and, eventually, to lively, springy movement of people and things.

Synonyms: rebounding, springing, jumping, leaping, vaulting

Antonyms: falling, dropping