lope

Etymology

Alteration of loup, from Old Norse hlaupa (“to leap, jump”)^[1]. See leap. Cognate with German laufen (“walk, run”), Danish løbe, Dutch lopen (“walk, run”), Norwegian løpe (“run”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ləʊp/
• (US) IPA^(key): /loʊp/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊp

Verb

lope (third-person singular simple present lopes, present participle loping, simple past and past participle loped)

1. (obsolete) To jump, leap.
   • 1485 July 31, Thomas Malory, “(please specify the chapter)”, in [Le Morte Darthur], (please specify the book number), [London: William Caxton], OCLC 71490786; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur, London: Published by David Nutt, in the Strand, 1889, OCLC 890162034:
     , Bk.IX, Ch.xxxv:

     And as he cam by a ryver, in hys woodnes he wolde have made hys horse to have lopyn over the watir; and the horse fayled footyng and felle in the ryver

   • Middleton

     He that lopes on the ropes.

2. To travel an easy pace with long strides.
   • 1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:

     “And the holidays?” Murgo proposed one evening as they loped down a bridlepath past lovers fondling in the grass. “Fun, are they? High living?”

   He loped along, hour after hour, not fast but steady and covering much ground.

Noun

lope (plural lopes)

1. A horse's easy gait, consisting of long running strides or leaps. A lope resembles a canter.

References

Anagrams

• LEPO, Pole, olpe, pleo-, pole

Etymology

Borrowed from English rope.

Noun

lope

1. rope

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

lope

1. (archaic) singular present subjunctive of lopen

Anagrams

• loep, poel

Etymology

Related to Northern Sami lohpi.

Noun

lope

1. promise

Further reading

• Entry 38149 in Álgu database