Subsultory

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Moving with sudden jerky or bouncing motions rather than smoothly
2. Characterized by abrupt spasmodic movements or leaps rather than continuous flow
3. Proceeding by fits and starts with irregular jumping or twitching action

Etymology: "Subsultory" describes something that jumps or leaps, especially a jolting, bouncing motion. It was borrowed from New Latin "subsultorius", a Latinized formation that rests on the classical verb "subsilire", meaning "to spring up". That verb is built from "sub", "under", and "salire", "to leap", so the English word carries a literal picture of leaping up from beneath. The root "salire" is also the source of familiar English words such as "salient", "assault" (through Old French "asaut") and "somersault", the last of which comes from Italian "soprasalto" and is only loosely related to the Latin in this case. Within "subsultory" the core idea stays physical: a sudden upward bound, which is why the word suits describing a jerky or convulsive movement, such as the tremor of a shaken ground.