Tumbling

How to spell tumbling

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce tumbling

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does tumbling mean?

1. verbFalling or rolling over repeatedly in a loose, uncontrolled way.
2. nounThe gymnastic discipline of performing rolls, flips, and somersaults along the floor.

Tumbling in a sentence

• verb

  The loose bricks came tumbling down the scaffolding.

• noun

  The coach taught a beginner tumbling class on Saturday mornings.

• verb

  Share prices kept tumbling throughout the afternoon.

• noun

  She earned a medal in tumbling at the regional gymnastics meet.

Where does tumbling come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word traces back to the Old English verb tumbian, which meant 'to dance, leap, or turn somersaults', the sort of acrobatic capering performed by tumblers and jesters. In Middle English it took the frequentative form tumblen, with the added -l- suggesting repeated or continuous action, and from there came the modern 'tumble'. The Germanic root is shared with related words in Old Norse and German that all carry the idea of spinning or toppling movement, so the early sense of dancing and somersaulting gradually broadened to cover any uncontrolled falling or rolling. The spelling keeps the silent-feeling but actually pronounced b along with the -le that becomes -ling, which is the small trap when adding the -ing suffix. The acrobatic sense survives directly in modern gymnastics, where 'tumbling' still names the floor discipline of rolls, flips, and somersaults.

How the word is built

• tumb- (from tumble: to fall, roll)
• -l-
• -ing (present participle / gerund suffix)