pounce

Definitions


[paʊns], (Verb)

Definitions:
- (of an animal or bird of prey) spring or swoop suddenly so as to catch prey
(e.g: as he watched, a mink pounced on the vole)


Phrases:

Origin:
late Middle English (as a noun denoting a tool for stamping or punching): origin obscure, perhaps from puncheon. The noun sense ‘a bird's claw’ arose in the late 15th century and gave rise to the verb (mid 17th century)


[paʊns], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a sudden swoop or spring

- a bird's claw


Phrases:

Origin:
late Middle English (as a noun denoting a tool for stamping or punching): origin obscure, perhaps from puncheon. The noun sense ‘a bird's claw’ arose in the late 15th century and gave rise to the verb (mid 17th century)


[paʊns], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a fine resinous powder formerly used to prevent ink from spreading on unglazed paper or to prepare parchment to receive writing

- powdered charcoal or other fine powder dusted over a perforated pattern to transfer the design to the object beneath


Phrases:

Origin:
late 16th century (as a verb): from French poncer, based on Latin pumex ‘pumice’


[paʊns], (Verb)

Definitions:
- smooth down by rubbing with pounce or pumice

- transfer (a design) by the use of pounce


Phrases:

Origin:
late 16th century (as a verb): from French poncer, based on Latin pumex ‘pumice’




definition by Oxford Dictionaries