flounce means A strip of decorative material, usually pleated, attached along one edge; a ruffle. It carries an Arena rating of 1704, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, flounce ranks #549 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,135 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #1,208 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #1,463 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.
flounce is pronounced /flaʊns/.
Why “flounce” is a great word
A strip of decorative, often pleated material attached by its upper edge to create a flowing ruffle, or a theatrical departure executed with exaggerated, bouncy, or haughty motions. Probably of North Germanic origin, from Norwegian *flunsa* (“to hurry, plunge”), perhaps ultimately imitative; first attested in the mid-16th century. Unlike a 'ruffle,' which is simply gathered fabric, it implies a specific, lively construction; and unlike 'strut,' a proud, stiff gait, to flounce is a performance of jerky impatience. It is the deliberate swish of a skirt's attached trim, the petulant bounce of curls as a head is turned away, and the emphatic, door-slamming exit from a room—a minor, self-conscious rebellion against gravity and expectation.
Etymology
Probably of North Germanic origin, from Norwegian flunsa (“hurry”), perhaps ultimately imitative. Or, perhaps formed on the pattern of pounce, bounce.
noun
- A strip of decorative material, usually pleated, attached along one edge; a ruffle.e.g.“Then he looked from her to some gayer figures moving along the road with flutters of bright streamers and flounces” — 1900, Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman, The Love of Parson Lord: And Other Stories, page 25:
- The act of flouncing; a dramatic departure.
- A row of corrugations, skin folds, or spines, on the hemipenis of a snake.
verb
- To move in a bouncy, exaggerated manner.
- To depart in a dramatic, haughty way that draws attention to oneself.e.g.“After failing to win the leadership election, he flounced dramatically.”
- To flounder; to make spastic motions.e.g.“To flutter and flounce will do nothing but batter and bruise us.” — a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number)”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A[braham] J[ohn] Va
- To decorate with a flounce.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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