prance

English
Statue of a prancing horse,
La Clayette (Saône-et-Loire), France

Etymology

From Middle English prancen, prauncen (“to prance; literally, to show off”), variant of Middle English pranken (“to prank”). Cognate with Bavarian prangezen, prangssen (“to put on airs”), Alemannic German pranzen (“to strut”). More at prank.

Pronunciation
  • (US) IPA(key): /pɹæn(t)s/
  • Rhymes: -æns
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /pɹɑːn(t)s/
  • Rhymes: -ɑːns

Verb

prance (third-person singular simple present prances, present participle prancing, simple past and past participle pranced)

  1. (of a horse) To spring forward on the hind legs.
  2. (colloquial, figuratively) To strut about in a showy manner.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

prance (plural prances)

  1. A prancing movement.
    • D. H. Lawrence, The Rainbow
      There seemed a little prance of triumph in his movement,

Anagrams
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