Forms: α. 6 curuetto, 7 corvetto, coruetti, curvetty; β. 6 pl. cooruez, 7 coruet, corvet, corveit, 7–9 curvett, 7– curvet. [ad. It. corvetta, dim. of corvo, corva, now curvo bent, arched:—L. curvus. Cf. Sp. corveta, F. courbette. Originally stressed on the final, but now very generally on the first syllable: so altered by Todd 1818 from Johnson’s curve·t.]
In the manège: A leap of a horse in which the fore-legs are raised together and equally advanced, and the hind-legs raised with a spring before the fore-legs reach the ground. (Often used more or less vaguely of any leaping or frisking motion; cf. CARACOL.)
1575. Laneham, Lett. (1871), 25. To see … the cooragioous attempts … the daungeroous cooruez, the feers encoounterz.
1589. Pasquill’s Counter-c., 3. O how my Palfrey fetcht me uppe the Curuetto.
1601. Shaks., All’s Well, II. iii. 299. The bound and high curuet Of Marses fierie steed.
1614. Markham, Cheap Husb., I. ii. (1668), 27. When your horse can bound perfectly, then you shall teach him the Corvet.
1751. Johnson, Rambler, No. 163, ¶ 7. As a sportsman delights the squires … with the curvets of his horse.
1852. Kingsley, Andromeda, 300. As … some colt … at last, in pride of obedience Answers the heel with a curvet.
fig. 1645. Milton, Colast., Wks. (1851), 353. Hee must needs first shew us a curvett of his madnes.
