scamper

English

WOTD – 22 January 2007

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈskæmpə/
• IPA^(key): /ˈskæmpɚ/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (AU)

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• Rhymes: -æmpə(r)

Etymology 1

First attested in 1687. Origin uncertain, but possibly from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Dutch schamperen, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French escamper, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Italian scampare (“to run away”).

Noun

scamper (plural scampers)

1. A quick, light run.

Verb

scamper (third-person singular simple present scampers, present participle scampering, simple past and past participle scampered)

1. (intransitive) To run quickly and lightly, especially in a playful or undignified manner.

   The dog scampered after the squirrel.

   • 2017 June 3, Daniel Taylor, “Real Madrid win Champions League as Cristiano Ronaldo double defeats Juv”, in The Guardian (London)‎^[1]:

     Three minutes later, Luka Modric scampered down the right, clipped a cross to the near post and Ronaldo’s clipped finish gave the remainder of the match an air of inevitability.

   • 1912: Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes, Chapter 1

     The younger and lighter members of his tribe scampered to the higher branches of the great trees to escape his wrath; risking their lives upon branches that scarce supported their weight rather than face old Kerchak in one of his fits of uncontrolled anger.

Synonyms

• scurry
• See also Thesaurus:walk

Translations

To run quickly and lightly, especially in a playful manner or in an undignified manner

• Chinese:

  Cantonese: please add this translation if you can

• French: gambader (fr)
• Korean: 빨리달리다 (ppallidallida)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maori: karapetapeta
• Polish: pędzić (pl)
• Russian: бе́гать (ru) (bégatʹ), носиться (ru) (nositʹsja)
• Spanish: corretear (es)

Etymology 2

scamp +‎ -er

Noun

scamper (plural scampers)

1. One who skimps or does slipshod work.

   Synonym: skimper

Anagrams

• Campers, campers