Sashays

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To move effortlessly and vividly with a sense of style while showing off confidence; gliding through space in an exuberant and fashionable manner that captures attention; exhibiting a charming and lively gait that emphasizes one's poise and self-assurance
2. To glide forward with a smooth, confident stride and a stylish flair that attracts notice
3. To move with an elegant, self-assured manner that suggests grace and charisma

Etymology: "Sashays" is the third-person singular present form of "sashay," a verb meaning to walk with a showy, confident swagger. The verb comes from French "chassé," a dance term meaning a gliding step in which one foot chases or pushes the other. Its ancestor is the Latin "captare," meaning to chase or try to catch, a frequentative of "capere," to take or seize. The English word preserves that dance step rather than the idea of pursuit. Dancers in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries used the sideways sliding movement, and the sense of gliding across a floor with flair gradually broadened to any confident, flamboyant walk. The French original is the past participle of "chasser," so the form arrived in English already carrying the image of one foot driving the other along.

Synonyms: struts, sways