French word

culbute

Pronunciation

IPA/kylbyt/

Meaning

  • feminine nountumble

Example

En glissant sur la boue, il a fait une culbute.

Slipping in the mud, he took a tumble.

Illustration for culbute (tumble)

More examples

En jouant, il s'est fait une culbute.

While playing, he took a tumble.

Core concept

A body suddenly tips over and rolls, either by accident or as a deliberate acrobatic move.

Common phrases

  • se faire une culbute

    take a tumble

Similar words

chute: A fall from a standing position to the ground.
glissade: A sliding movement of the feet or body on a floor or slope.
roulade: A forward roll with the body curled up during play or gymnastics.

Definition in French

Désigne à la fois un renversement soudain du corps et, au sens acrobatique, une roulade ou un saut périlleux.

Word origin

The noun comes from the verb culbuter, built from cul and buter, and names the tumbling motion produced by that action.

Usage tips

  • Culbute is feminine, so the usual phrase is faire une culbute, with une rather than un.

Other meanings

  • forward rollnoun
  • somersaultnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word