Jaunce

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To move along with a rough, bumpy jolting motion, as a rider or vehicle does on uneven ground
2. To be shaken or bounced violently, especially while travelling over a rough or uneven surface
3. To jerk and rattle about in a jarring way, with the body or a carriage tossed up and down

Etymology: Jaunce is a close relative of "jaunt," and the two words were once almost interchangeable in their literal sense of rough, bumpy motion. The verb came into Middle English as "jouncen," which may have been borrowed from Old French "jancer," meaning "to jolt" or "to jog." That French word itself may trace back to Scandinavian speech, where Swedish "ganta" once meant "to sport, romp, or play the fool," a sense that fits the lively, unruly motion of a bouncing cart or horse. The origin of the Scandinavian root is uncertain, and some scholars link it to an ancient word for gaping or yawning, though that connection is speculative. English "bounce" may also have pushed the word toward its jolting sense, blending two ideas of springy, uneven movement.