Strut
/strʌt/noun
To walk with a proud, stiff, or pompous gait; also, a supporting brace or beam.
Did you know?The verb and noun both trace back to the idea of something rigid and thrusting outward, and English later turned that physical stiffness into a social performance of swagger.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*streǵ-
“to stretch out, make stiff”
Old English
OE
strūtian
“to stand out stiffly; to swell up”
Middle English
ME
strouten
“to swell, bulge, or stand out”
15th Century
English
strut
“a projecting support or brace”
16th Century
English
strut
“to walk with a proud, stiff gait”
Modern English
English
strut
“to walk or behave with exaggerated self-importance”