Etymology

Verb

1. To jump, leap.
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book IX:

     And as he cam by a ryver, in hys woodnes he wolde have made hys horse to have lopyn over the watir; and the horse fayled footyng and felle in the ryver [...].

2. To travel an easy pace with long strides.

   He loped along, hour after hour, not fast but steady and covering much ground.

Noun

1. A horse's easy gait, consisting of long running strides or leaps. A lope resembles a canter.