sali-, salt-, -sili-, sult-, -salta-

1. An acrobatic movement in which the body is rolled over, feet over head, either forward or backward, on the ground or in midair, finally returning to an upright position: "The gymnasts were performing a variety of spectacular forward and backward somersaults."

"The children in the school learned how to turn somersaults in their gym classes."

2. A reversal of opinion or decision; or a complete change of mind or reversal of policy: "The politicians were accused of doing sumersaults with their proposals."

"When Erica heard the shocking news about her father's death, her heart did a figurative sumersault.

3. Etymology: a leap in which a person tumbles heels over head in mid-air, comes from the Old French sombresault, which was based on the earlier form sobresault."

Both of these French words were rooted, in turn, on a melding of the Latin supra, "above, over" and saltus, meaning "to leap", derived from salire, "to jump"; giving us the combined sense of "to leap above".

The word first appeared in English in the form sobersault in about 1530, but by the beginning of the 19th century, English speakers and writers were using the modern form somersault.

To make complete turns forwards or backwards on the ground or in the air: "The diver at the swimming pool was sumersaulting forward twice before he went into the water."

"While riding his bicycle, Jerome swerved and accidentally sumersaulted over into the bushes by the side of the road."

1. Leaps or jumps across something or from one thing to another one: "Lloyd and June saw an unusual number of transiliencies of frogs in the pond as they were leaping back and forth among the big leaves of water lilies or other floating aquatic plants."
2. Etymology: from Latin transiliens, the past participle transilire, "to leap across" or "to jump over"; from trans-, "across, over" + salire "to leap".

A leap or jump across or from one thing to another: "The transiliencies of the grasshoppers could be seen as they jumped from one plant to another one as they were consuming the leaves."

Certain, unquestionable, irrefutable, and invincible: "The military commander of the military post stationed at a distance from the main body of troops was sure that the camp was unassailable."

"The faculty sponsor of the school's debate team said they won the contest on the strength of their unassailable reasoning and responses."

1. Not adapted for leaping or dancing: "Many unsaltatory people must use wheelchairs, crutches, or other slower methods of moving around."
2. Unable to move forward by leaping or jumping: "Many insects are normally unsaltatory and so they move around by flying or crawling."