Somersets

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. To flip over and land on one's feet or rear
2. To perform acrobatic movements in a graceful manner
3. A series of agile rotations or tumbling movements often performed in gymnastics

Etymology: "Somersets" is simply the plural of "somerset", a noun for a gymnastic move in which the body rolls head over heels, either forwards or backwards. The singular is the one with a history worth tracing, since the plural only follows it into English. The name itself is a variant of "summerset", which in turn comes from the older "somersault", a word that reached English from Old French "soubresaut", meaning a leap or jump. Its earlier sense was a jump or sudden bound, and the rolling movement was attached to it later.