What does estrapade mean?
An estrapade is the violent manoeuvre of a horse that resists being led or ridden by rearing up on its hind legs or throwing itself backwards, often in a determined effort to break free. The word entered English from French in the early seventeenth century, when horsemanship vocabulary was flourishing, and it retains an air of the riding-school about it even now. Beyond its literal sense, writers have used estrapade figuratively for any headstrong act of rebellion or wild escapade, though this extended use has always been comparatively uncommon. Today the word is rare, encountered mostly in historical accounts of horses, classical literature on equitation, or deliberate literary flourishes. Its connotations are vivid and slightly dramatic: an estrapade suggests not mere stubbornness but an explosive, theatrical refusal. For readers of older equestrian texts or novelists seeking a precise term for a horse's tantrum, estrapade remains unmatched.
nounA horse's violent effort to escape restraint by rearing up on its hind legs or plunging backwards; figuratively, any wild or unruly escapade or act of resistance.
- The action of a horse rearing up or plunging backwards to resist restraint.
- Figuratively, a wild escapade or unruly outburst.
"The young stallion threw itself into an estrapade, rearing and plunging until the groom loosened its reins."
"The colt went into an estrapade at the far end of the paddock, hooves striking the air."
"Her sudden resignation was an estrapade against years of quiet obedience."
Regular plural; typically used when describing repeated bouts of rearing across multiple occasions or horses.
"The training manual devoted a whole chapter to correcting the estrapades of young horses."
When a horse refuses to budge by throwing itself into a rearing tantrum, English has had a single elegant word for it since the 1600s: estrapade.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of estrapade
Estrapade comes from French, where it denoted the same rearing movement of a restive horse, and was borrowed into English in the early seventeenth century. The French word is usually traced through Spanish estrapada or Italian strapada, forms connected with verbs meaning to drag or pull violently, which themselves descend from a Germanic source also reflected in the English verb 'strip'. It thus belongs to the same family of words as 'escapade', sharing the notion of breaking loose.
How estrapade is actually used
Estrapade is rare today and belongs mainly to equestrian, historical, or literary registers; it appears chiefly in writing about horses and in figurative literary use.
Easily confused with estrapade
An escapade is a reckless adventure or prank by a person, while an estrapade is primarily the rearing, plunging movement of a horse resisting restraint.