Stampede

The word Stampede ( [ stæmpi ː d], derived from the same major Mexican- Spanish word Estampida ) comes from the American English and refers to a sudden movement of refugees within a herd of animals, covering the whole flock and makes them uncontrollable. Later the term was also applied to the dynamics of crowds, and in particular mass panics. In both meanings of the term is occasionally used in German publications.

Stampedes were in the American West especially at the time of the large herds of cattle a dreaded phenomenon and are therefore also a recurring plot element in Wild West novels and films, such as in Red River (1948 ).

In the western United States and in Canada Stampede called today also a folk festival with rodeo, exhibitions, competitions and dance, such as the Calgary Stampede.