Sashaying

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Moving with a stylish and exaggerated sway that captivates attention
2. To walk in a confident manner with a deliberate side-to-side movement that draws notice
3. Moving forward with a graceful, exaggerated hip sway meant to express self-assurance

Etymology: The word "sashay" comes from French "chassé", the past participle of "chasser", meaning "to chase." That French verb has a surprisingly tidy Latin ancestor: "captare," a frequentative form of "capere," "to take," so the chase carries the sense of repeatedly trying to catch something. In French dance, "chassé" came to name a gliding step in which one foot chases the other, which is where the movement's sideways, skimming quality begins. The twist is in the spelling and sound. English speakers pronounced "chassé" closer to "sash-AY," and the word shifted in form through a process called metathesis, or in some accounts a Verlan-style reversal of syllables. Either way, the ballroom term became a loose verb meaning to move with a swaying, gliding stride. "Sashaying" is simply the verb's -ing form, describing someone strolling along with that deliberate, attention-drawing sway.

Synonyms: strutting, strolling, swishing, swaying, gliding