Scamper
/ˈskæm.pɚ/noun
To run or move quickly and playfully with short, light steps.
Did you know?Scamper is probably of Scandinavian origin, and it’s closely tied to a family of words meaning to run or rush, not to any magical or sinister root.
Etymological Timeline
Early Modern English
English
scamper
“to run or move quickly with light, hurried steps”
17th Century
English
scamper
“to run off in haste; to flee”
Old Norse / Scandinavian
ON/Scand.
skammr / related forms
“likely source of the word’s brisk, scrambling sense”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skam- / *skamp-
“to hurry, rush, or move rapidly (reconstructed family source)”
Modern English
English
scamper
“to move quickly and playfully with short steps”