Summersaults

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. To perform a series of acrobatic maneuvers involving flipping forward or backward while maintaining forward motion
2. To execute a rotation of the body in a vertical plane, often landing on the feet after the movement
3. To engage in a sequence of gymnastic flips that can be performed both in the air and on the ground

Etymology: "Summersaults" is simply the plural of "summersault," the noun for a body flip, and it is a plural spelling of a word whose own spelling has been unstable for centuries. The singular "somersault" is the form most dictionaries now prefer, so "summersaults" is best read as a variant plural of that same word, with the "summer" spelling reflecting an older form of the term.

Synonyms: somersaults