cabriole

[ kab-ree-ohl; French ka-bree-awl ]

/ ˈkæb riˌoʊl; French ka briˈɔl /

Save This Word!

noun, plural cab·ri·oles

[kab-ree-ohlz; French ka-bree-awl]. /ˈkæb riˌoʊlz; French ka briˈɔl/.

Furniture. a curved, tapering leg curving outward at the top and inward farther down so as to end in a round pad, the semblance of an animal's paw, or some other feature: used especially in the first half of the 18th century.

Ballet. a leap in which one leg is raised in the air and the other is brought up to beat against it.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of cabriole

1775–85; <French: leap, caper; so called because modeled on leg of a capering animal (see capriole); b by influence of cabri kid (≪ Old Provençal ) and kindred words

Words nearby cabriole

cabretta, cabrilla, Cabrillo, Cabrini, cabrio, cabriole, cabriolet, cabrito, cabstand, cabuya, cac-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cabriole in a sentence

I remember,” replies the other; “for at that moment I gave six thousand francs a month to little Cabriole of the Varieties.
Other People's Money|Emile Gaboriau
The next morning Cabriole woke up his master who dressed himself and went to take a walk.
Bo-Peep Story Books|Anonymous
Cabriole ran to his master to tell him the news, when Avenant bid him go and remind the queen of the poor prisoner.
Bo-Peep Story Books|Anonymous
But now, as soon as the horses arrived, I hurried into a cabriole, and bade farewell to my friend.
Frankenstein|Mary Shelley

He early used the ogee curve and cabriole leg, the knees of which he carved with cartouches and leaves or other designs.
Furnishing the Home of Good Taste|Lucy Abbot Throop

British Dictionary definitions for cabriole

cabriole

/ (ˈkæbrɪˌəʊl) /

noun

Also called: cabriole leg a type of furniture leg, popular in the first half of the 18th century, in which an upper convex curve descends tapering to a concave curve

ballet a leap in the air with one leg outstretched and the other beating against it

Word Origin for cabriole

C18: from French, from cabrioler to caper; from its being based on the leg of a capering animal; see cabriolet

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012