Hop

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /hɒp/

Definitions

1. To move by jumping or leaping into the air ; to move forward by taking short, quick leaps ; a brief trip or short journey to a place nearby
2. To spring upward or forward using one or both feet ; to travel by making small, rapid jumps ; a quick excursion usually involving travel over a short distance
3. To leap suddenly from one spot to another ; to proceed along by hopping steps ; a short, often informal travel to a nearby location

Etymology: The verb "hop" meaning to jump on one foot or spring lightly goes back to Old English "hoppian", and it has close relatives across the North Sea and Baltic: Dutch "hoppen", German "hoppen" and "hüpfen" in its family, and Swedish "hoppa" and Danish "hoppe", all meaning to leap or skip. The root sense is simply a light, bouncing movement, which all these languages share. The noun, the green-cone plant used in brewing, is a separate word that arrived in English in the Middle Ages, probably from Middle Dutch or a related Low German form, and it is related to German "Hopfen" and French "houblon". Its origin is possibly connected to the verb, perhaps because the climbing vine seems to leap or spring up its supports, though this link is uncertain. Two words that look identical today thus grew from separate roots, one describing a bounding motion and the other naming a plant that the brewing trade made familiar across Europe.

Synonyms: jump, leap, bounce, spring, vault

Antonyms: fall, sink, descend, plummet, drop