The springbok is an antelope species found mainly in southern and southwestern Africa, and the verb “to pronk” describes its distinctive stiff-legged leap. In Afrikaans, one of the official languages of South Africa, the word means literally “to show off.” The language traces back to Dutch, in which “pronken” means “to strut.” In English, “pronk” can be used to describe an antelope, or it can be used more figuratively — to describe a dancer’s elegant leap across the stage, for example.