somersault

Etymology

From French sombresault (now obsolete, compare French sursaut, soubresaut), from Old Occitan sobresalt, from sobre- (“over, above”) + salt (“jump”), from Latin supra (“over”) + saltus (“jump”). Cognate with Spanish sobresaltar (“to spook, startle”) and Portuguese sobressaltar (“to spook, scare, jump over”).

noun

1. Starting on one's feet, an instance of rotating one's body 360 degree while airborne or on the ground, with one's feet passing over one's head.

verb

1. To perform a somersault.
   The performer somersaulted all the way across the stage.