Somersault
Origin
Middle French sombresaut leap, ultimately from Latin super over + saltus leap, from salire to jump
Definitions
- 1: a movement (as in gymnastics) in which a person turns forward or backward in a complete revolution along the ground or in the air bringing the feet over the head; also : a falling or tumbling head over heels
Description
A somersault (obsolete French word sombresault, Provencal sobresaut; and Latin - supra, over, and saltus, jump, and in gymnastics a Salto) is an acrobatic exercise in which a person does a full 360° flip, moving the feet over the head. A somersault can be performed either forwards, backwards, or sideways and can be executed in the air or on the ground. When performed on the ground it is normally called a roll.
The word 'flip' is synonymous with somersault in a number of countries including the USA. However this is not used in trampolining in some countries such as Britain, whereby a flip is a skill that is executed with forward or backward movement, relying on the arms to create rotation, with an optional contact on the floor with the hands.
Many sports (not just gymnastics) have added to the confusion of named somersaults. For instance in sports such as BMX, FMX, snowboarding and even skateboarding, a backward rotation is referred to as a "backflip". Certain new sports such as tricking and free running also name their moves flips.
The word 'somerset' was also used in Victorian England to describe what today we call a somersault. For example, an 1843 poster advertising Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal boasts, "Mr. HENDERSON will undertake the arduous Task of THROWING TWENTY-ONE SOMERSETS, ON THE SOLID GROUND." John Lennon also employs the word in his adaptation of the circus poster for The Beatles song, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!, in which he sings, "And Mr. H will demonstrate ten somersets he'll undertake on solid ground."[1]
