Gallop

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɡæləp/

Definitions

1. A fast running gait of a horse or similar animal where all four feet leave the ground simultaneously
2. A rapid, bounding gait employed by horses, during which all four hooves leave the ground at once, indicating swift and powerful movement
3. A swift four-beat movement by a horse where it lifts all hooves off the ground momentarily

Etymology: The horse's gait is named for a phrase that meant "to run well." Old French "galoper" came from a Frankish phrase, "wala hlaupan," where "wala" meant "well" and "hlaupan" meant "to run," the same root that gives English "leap." The word then passed into Middle English as "galopen." A second, less certain theory links the word to a Frankish compound, "walhlaup," meaning "battle run," built from a root for "battlefield" that is traced back to a Germanic word for "dead" or "slain." If that is right, the horse's fastest pace began life as a term for a rush into combat, though the older "to run well" explanation is the more commonly accepted one. The word has a close relative in "wallop," which came into English through a northern French variant of the same source. Where "gallop" kept the sense of galloping, "wallop" drifted toward a heavy blow.

Synonyms: run, race, dash

Antonyms: walk, stroll