Jumped on suddenly or attacked quickly; moved with sudden speed to catch or grab something.
From Old French 'pounçonner,' possibly influenced by the bird 'pounce' (a hunting falcon). Originally meant to pierce or prick, evolved to mean jumping/attacking suddenly.
Pounce is the hunting behavior of every ambush predator on Earth—from house cats to lions to snakes—so the word actually describes one of nature's most fundamental survival strategies.
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