rampant [ME] Something rampant flourishes or spreads in an uncontrolled way. This is a development of the original use in heraldry, which described an animal, like the lion rampant of Scotland, rearing up on its left hind foot with its forefeet in the air. Its origins are much less vigorous, going back to French ramper, which means ‘to creep, crawl’, or ‘to climb’. Rampage [L17th], originally a Scottish word, comes from the same root, as does the sloping ramp [E18th], used to get you up to another level.