pronk

Etymology

From Afrikaans pronk (“to show off, strut, or prance”), from Dutch pronken (“to show off, be flamboyant”). See also prank.

pronk means A gait or a leap in which all four legs are used to push off the ground at once. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.

Why “pronk” is a great word

PRONK — [Noun, Verb] A gait or leap, especially of certain quadrupeds like springbok, in which all four legs push off the ground simultaneously. From Afrikaans pronk (“to show off, strut, or prance”), from Dutch pronken (“to show off, be flamboyant”). Unlike “stot”—a stiff-legged, diagnostic bounce of alarm—or “prance”—a high-stepping, theatrical trot—a pronk is a ballistic advertisement of vitality. It is the explosive recoil from the hardpan, the moment of impossible suspension, the sharp report of hooves meeting earth. For one arrested moment, the instinct to flee is disguised as the urge to perform—a brief, joyous argument against the sober economy of survival.

noun

A gait or a leap in which all four legs are used to push off the ground at once.

verb

To jump with all four limbs at once.“Like stotting, pronking is a signal of medium excitation and is performed more often by fawns than by adults (1, 16).”