Jactare

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To boast or brag excessively about something; to throw or cast something about with force; to display or present something in a showy or ostentatious manner
2. To speak with undue pride about one's achievements or possessions; to hurl or toss an object with vigor; to flaunt or exhibit something in a conspicuous way
3. To make exaggerated claims regarding personal success or qualities; to fling something energetically into a space; to showcase something in a flamboyant fashion

Etymology: Latin "jactare" meant "to throw repeatedly" or "to toss about," and it comes from "jacere," "to throw," the same root behind English "ject" and "jet." The frequentative sense of repeated throwing gave rise to the figurative idea of tossing a matter around, and from there to "boasting" or displaying oneself. Roman writers used it of people who vaunted themselves, so the sense of showing off was already present in classical Latin. English did not borrow the verb in its bragging sense as a common word. It remained a learned term, and dictionaries record it mainly as a Latin form, used in scholarly or literary contexts rather than everyday speech. Its English relatives come through the same Latin root, so readers meet "jactation," a word for restless tossing or boastful display, far more often than "jactare" itself.