rampant

CEFRC1

/ˈɹæm.pənt/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Spreading quickly and difficult to control.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Rearing up, especially on its hind leg(s), with a foreleg raised and in profile.

Examples

  • Fiscal austerity is considered to be an answer to the rampant inflation.

  • There are many latent gays among rampant homophobes.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Tilted, said of an arch with one side higher than the other, or a vault whose two abutments are located on an inclined plane.

  2. Rearing on both hind legs with the forelegs extended.

  3. Unrestrained or unchecked, usually in a negative manner.

More examples

In context

  • The Vienna riding school displays splendid rampant movement.

  • There was rampant corruption in the city.

  • Weeds are rampant in any neglected garden.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Because no one controlled the fire, it grew blank and burned the whole forest.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English rampand, rampend, present participle of rampen (“to rise by climbing, shoot up, sprout, sty, ascend”), from Old French ramper (“to creep, climb”) (see below), equivalent to ramp + -and or ramp + -ant. Recorded since 1382, "standing on the hind legs" (as in heraldry), later, "fierce, ravenous" (1387). Compare Scots rampand (“rampant”). Alternatively from Middle English *rampant, from Old French rampant, the present participle of ramper (“to creep, climb”), equivalent to ramp + -ant. Old French ramper derives from Frankish *rampōn, *hrampōn (“to hook, grapple, climb”), from *rampa, *hrampa (“hook, claw, talon”), from Proto-Germanic *hrempaną (“to curve, shrivel, shrink, wr...