Rumspringa (), also spelled Rumschpringe or Rumshpringa, is a rite of passage during adolescence, translated from originally Palatine German and other Southwest German dialects to English as "jumping or hopping around", used in some Amish communities. The Amish, a subsect of the Anabaptist Christian movement, intentionally segregate themselves from other communities as a part of their faith. For Amish youth, the Rumspringa normally begins at age 16 and ends when a youth chooses either to be baptized in the Amish church or to leave the community. For Wenger Mennonites, Rumspringa occurs mostly between ages of 17 and 21. Not all Amish use this term (it does not occur in John A. Hostetler's extended discussion of adolescence among the Amish), but in sects that do, Amish elders generally view it as a time for courtship and finding a spouse. A popular view exists by which the period is institutionalized as a rite of passage, and the usual behavioral restrictions are relaxed, so that Amish youth can acquire some experience and knowledge of the non-Amish world. Etymology Rumspringa is a Pennsylvania German noun meaning "running around." It is a cognate of the Standard German verb rumspringen. Dialects do not derive from standard languages, but as a cognate, this expression is closely related to the Standard German verb (he)rumspringen meaning "to jump around or about." The Standard German term is a compound word of the adverb (around, about) and the verb ("to jump"). However, in Swiss German as in some other southern German dialects, springen – besides meaning "to jump" – also means "to run." This term/concept also is used as a separable verb, i.e., (to jump around) / er springt rum (he jumps around). In Pennsylvania German, the prefix rum is a contraction of herum – a development which is also all but general to spoken standard German. The infinitive (and gerund) form "-a" is standard in Pennsylvania German and other forms of general Upper German. Popularized view Amish adolescents may engage in rebellious behavior, resisting or defying parental norms. In many cultures, enforcement may be relaxed, and misbehavior tolerated or overlooked to a degree. A view of rumspringa has emerged in popular culture that this divergence from custom is an accepted part of adolescence or a rite of passage for Amish youth. Among the Amish, however, rumspringa simply refers to adolescence. During that time a certain amount of misbehavior is unsurprising