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Cavort vs Gambol - What's the difference?

cavort | gambol |

In lang=en terms the difference between cavort and gambol

is that cavort is to move about carelessly, playfully or boisterously while gambol is to move about playfully; to frolic.

As verbs the difference between cavort and gambol

is that cavort is (originally|intransitive) to prance, said of mounts while gambol is to move about playfully; to frolic.

As a noun gambol is

an instance of running or skipping about playfully.

cavort

English

Verb

  • (originally) To prance, said of mounts
  • * 1920 , , The Understanding Heart , Chapter I:
  • To move about carelessly, playfully or boisterously.
  • * 1900 , ”:
    • And dragon-flies sported around and cavorted , / As poets say dragon-flies ought to do;
  • * 1911 , :
    • He whirligigged and pirouetted, dancing and cavorting round like an inebriated ape.

    Synonyms

    * (move about boisterously) romp, frolic, prance, caper

    See also

    * horse around

    References

    * * “ The Way We Live Now: 7-14-02: On Language; Cavort”, William Safire criticizes White House rhetorics who apparently use the word to mean consort, and discusses its possible origins.

    gambol

    English

    Verb

  • To move about playfully; to frolic.
  • * 1835 : (Harper)
    • The lawn spread freely onward, as of old, over which, in sweet company, he had once gambolled .
  • * 1907 : Paul Lafargue, The rights of the horse , page 160
    • […] she remains near him to suckle him and teach him to choose the delicious grasses of the meadow, in which he gambols until he is grown.
  • *
    • In the ecstasy of that thought they gambolled round and round, they hurled themselves into great leaps of excitement.
  • *
  • * 1995 : Neal Stephenson, The Diamond Age: or a Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer , page 286 (ISBN 0553380966)
    • Three girls moved across the billiard-table lawn of a great manor house, circling and swarming about a common center of gravity like gamboling sparrows.
  • (British, West Midlands) to do a forward roll

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • An instance of running or skipping about playfully.
  • * 1843 : , The Gold Bug , page 10
    • When his gambols were over, I looked at the paper, and, to speak the truth, found myself not a little puzzled at what my friend had depicted.
  • An instance of more general frisking or frolicking.
  • *