Jump
/dʒʌmp/noun
To spring off the ground or move suddenly upward or forward.
Did you know?The exact origin of English *jump* is uncertain, but it likely began as an expressive, imitative word for a sudden springing motion, which is why it feels so physically explosive even today.
Etymological Timeline
Early 16th Century
English
jump
“to spring or leap suddenly”
Middle English
English
jumpen
“to leap or spring”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*jump-
“possibly an expressive base for sudden movement”
Old English
English
—
“no secure attested ancestor form”
Modern English
English
jump
“to spring off the ground or move suddenly upward or forward”