English
bounce
Bounce comes from Middle English bounsen.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bounsen
- Englishearliest quotation 1621bounce
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bounsen
- Englishearliest quotation 1621bounce
Earliest quotation: 1621, The Wild-Goose Chase; a Comedy: “Would I had him here again, I would so…”
The story
Perhaps imitative, related to bump, or related to Middle English bonchen (‘to pound, beat’) and Dutch bonken (‘to bump’).
Every English word from Middle English bounsen
Today it means
verb To change the direction of motion after hitting an obstacle.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English bounsen / bounce