Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To move in a lively, capering manner; prance.
  • noun A lively, capering manner of moving or walking; a prance.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A lively or gay movement or gait; a prancing or springing about; a canter.
  • To act or go in a gay, lively, or impatient manner; spring; prance; skip.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of tittuping; lively, gay, or restless behavior or gait; a prance or caper.
  • intransitive verb To behave or move in a lively or restless manner, as an impatient horse; to caper; to prance; to frisk.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a caper
  • verb intransitive To prance or frolic.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb to walk with a lofty proud gait, often in an attempt to impress others

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Perhaps imitative of the sound of a horse's hooves.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Probably imitative.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word tittup.

Examples

  • The torrent of knocks roared louder, slightly failed upon the ear, made a crescendo, emulated Niagara, surpassed that very American effort of nature, wavered, faltered to Lodore, died away to a feeble tittup like water dropping from a tap to flagstones, rose again in a final spurt that would have made Southey open his dictionary for adjectives, and drained away to death.

    The Prophet of Berkeley Square Robert Smythe Hichens 1907

  • Now and again three donkeys would start, urged from behind, and slowly tittup their burdens along the pond’s margin.

    The White Monkey 2004

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • "in my head was that other potent place, conjured up by the smell of dung and paraffin, the felt-shod tittuping sound of a donkery's hooves, kites floating in a Wedgwood blue skay, the baroque gaiety of Arabic script".

    Penelope Lively, "Moon Tiger".

    January 13, 2010

  • This virtual college of dance

    Will teach you to caper or prance:

    The gambol is wilder

    A tittup much milder.

    Cavorting might suit you, perchance?

    May 9, 2018

  • *applause*

    May 9, 2018