Prance
/præns/noun
To move with high, springy steps, often in a showy or proud way.
Did you know?The word’s earlier history is tied to horse movement in Romance and Germanic borrowing, which is why it carries that same theatrical, almost ritual energy of a creature showing off its force.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
pransen
“to spring or leap about, especially in a showy way”
Middle Dutch
N/Dutch
pransen
“to prance, stamp, or move with high steps”
Old French
O.Fr.
prancer
“to trot or move briskly, especially of a horse”
Late Latin
Latin
prandicare
“to move with a horse’s gait; later forms influenced the Romance development”
Modern English
English
prance
“to move about with high, springy steps, often proudly or playfully”