funambulate

English

WOTD – 8 September 2006

Etymology

From funambul(ist) +‎ -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /fjʊˈnæm.bjʊ.leɪt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /fjuˈnæm.bjuˌleɪt/, /fjuˈnæm.bjəˌleɪt/, /fjəˈnæm.bjəˌleɪt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æmbjʊleɪt
• Hyphenation: fu‧nam‧bu‧late

Verb

funambulate (third-person singular simple present funambulates, present participle funambulating, simple past and past participle funambulated)

1. (intransitive) To walk on ropes; to tightrope-walk.

Derived terms

• funambulation

Translations

tightrope-walk

• French: funambuler (fr)
• German: auf dem Seil tanzen (also figurative)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: li ser benan meşîn

• Russian: ходи́ть по проволоке (xodítʹ po provoloke)