(tŭmˈbəl-sĕtˌ)
noun Lower Southern U.S. Regional Note: The Lower Southern word
tumbleset for
somersault combines
tumble with
-set, which at first glance seems not to have any relationship to
-sault in
somersault. However,
-set is an old
l-less variant of
-sault (from Latin
saltus, “a leap”) that has been an alternative pronunciation throughout the word's history; hence, the variant
somerset. Somer- is an alteration of Old French
sobre-, from Latin
supra, “over.” In the word
tumbleset, as in a folk etymology,
somer-, part of a compound word that no longer bears any meaning for the speakers, has been replaced by
tumble, a word that makes more sense in the context.