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flounce 1 (flouns)
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n.
A strip of decorative, usually gathered or pleated material attached by one edge, as on a garment or curtain.
tr.v. flounced, flounc·ing, flounc·es
To trim with a strip or strips of gathered or pleated material.

[Alteration of frounce, from Middle English, pleat, from Old French fronce, of Germanic origin; see sker-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
flounce 2 (flouns)
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intr.v. flounced, flounc·ing, flounc·es
1.
a. To move in a lively or bouncy manner: The children flounced around the room in their costumes.
b. To move with exaggerated or affected motions: flounced petulantly out of the house.
2. To move clumsily; flounder.
n.
The act or motion of flouncing.

[Possibly of Scandinavian origin.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.