To somersault, tumble, or perform an acrobatic flip, especially backward; used in French and occasionally in English.
From Old French 'culbuter,' derived from 'culbute' (somersault), which comes from 'cul' (bottom/rear) and 'but' (end/goal). The verb form indicates the action of performing a culbute.
Medieval acrobats had elaborate names for their tricks, and 'culbute' was the fancy word for a backward flip! It's kind of like how modern skateboarders have specific names for every trick—every performance tradition invents its own vocabulary.
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