To run or jump around playfully; to move with exuberant leaps and bounds like an animal at play.
From French 'gambade' meaning a leap or bound, derived from Old Italian 'gamba' meaning leg. The word entered English in the 16th century and originally referred specifically to a horse's leaping movement before broadening to any playful jumping.
Watching a foal gambol in a field is pure joy—the word itself sounds bouncy and energetic, which is why poets love it! It's one of those rare words that actually sounds like what it means, and it perfectly captures that moment when animals can't contain their happiness.
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