Leap
/liːp/noun
To jump or spring a short distance, or a sudden jump or increase.
Did you know?English leap is an old Germanic word, and its cousins across the family tree still carry the same idea of a sudden spring or bound, not a mystical meaning but a very physical one.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁lewbʰ-
“to jump, spring, or move in a leaping way”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hlaupaną
“to run, leap, or spring”
Old English
English
hlēapan
“to leap, run, or move swiftly”
Middle English
English
lepen
“to jump or spring”
Modern English
English
leap
“to jump or spring upward or forward”