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.

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

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.

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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

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  • "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