verb / noun
gambol
GAM-buhl/ˈɡæmbl/
Playful running or jumping about.
Two young lambs gambol together on a patch of grass.
Etymology
French gambader, 'to skip about,' belongs to a word family ultimately based on Latin gamba, 'leg.' Leaping and springing supply the physical image behind playful running and jumping.
In context
laughing- eyed elves, heedlessly gambol around their old sire;
More examples
- The puppies gambol around the yard after breakfast.
- The children gamboled through the sprinkler on bare feet.
- After a quick gambol in the snow, the dog comes inside.
Forms
gambol · gambols · gamboled · gamboling
Similar words
- frolic
- Frolic includes playful activity beyond running or jumping.
- caper
- Caper emphasizes lively, often exaggerated leaps and skips.
- romp
- Romp suggests energetic, sometimes rough play rather than light skipping.