Prancing

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈpɹæn.sɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Moving forward with lively, springing steps, often seen in horses or people showing energy or joy
2. Advancing in a spirited way with high, bouncing steps that display enthusiasm or pride
3. Walking or trotting with an animated and bouncy gait that suggests playfulness or liveliness

Etymology: "Prancing" is the present participle of "prance", and the verb's sense of showing off is the clue to its history. Middle English had "prancen" and "prauncen", meaning "to prance" but literally "to show off", and these were variants of "pranken", meaning "to prank". The original idea was of someone displaying themselves for attention, and the high-stepping gait came later as the visible sign of that display. The likely ultimate source is the same root that gave English "prank", so the verb and the noun for a mischievous trick are distant relatives. Related forms survive in German dialects: Bavarian "prangezen" and "prangssen" mean "to put on airs", and Alemannic "pranzen" means "to strut". Those cognates reinforce the sense of vanity and display that lies behind the modern picture of a horse lifting its feet proudly.

Synonyms: dancing, frolicking, leaping, skipping, bounding

Antonyms: stumbling, trudging, shuffling, crawling, dragging