Word of the Day Archive
Monday June 18, 2012
volant \VOH-luhnt\
, adjective:
1. Moving lightly; nimble.
2. Engaged in or having the power of flight.
noun:
1. Also called volant piece. Armor. A reinforcing piece for the brow of a helmet.
But here in the present case, to carry on the volant metaphor, (for I must either be merry or mad) is a pretty little Miss, just, come out of her hanging-sleeve coat, brought to buy a pretty little fairing; for the world, Jack, is but a great fair thou knowest; and, to give thee serious reflection for serious, all its toys but tinselled hobby horses, gilt gingerbread, squeaking trumpets, painted drums, and so forth.
-- Samuel Richardson, Clarissa, Or, The History of a Young Lady
With Rube winging it that spring, the band blared, and the volant baseball team was unbeatable.
-- Alan Howard Levy, Rube Waddell
Volant stems from the Latin word volāre which meant "to fly". In English, it acquired the sense of moving nimbly in the early 1600s.
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for volant
