Vaulting is the present participle of 'vault' ('to leap'), from Old French 'volter' ('to gambol, leap'), from Vulgar Latin '*volvitare', frequentative of Latin 'volvere' ('to turn, roll'). In current use it is an adjective and noun meaning "reaching for great heights; excessively ambitious". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The -ing ending supplies a participial or action-noun shape. A frequentative element in the history points to repeated, habitual, or intensified action. The historical chain includes Old French volter and Latin volvere. Related English forms include vault. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.