Search for: Horses
7081 Etymology dictionary, p. groom (v.).2
… to horses." Transferred sense of "to tidy (oneself) up" is from 1843; figurative sense of "to prepare a candidate" is from 1887, originally in U.S. politics; meaning …
7082 Etymology dictionary, p. groom (n.1).3
… to horses and stables" is from 1660s, from earlier combinations such as horse-groom, Groom of the Stables, etc.
7083 Etymology dictionary, p. *gwora-.4
… - "devouring horses," nere-gar- "devouring men;" Greek bibr ō skein "to eat, digest," brotos "edible," brosis "eating," bora "fodder;" Latin vorare "to swallow, devour;" Armenian …
7084 Etymology dictionary, p. gyp (v.).3
… . among horse dealers for tricks such as painting the animal's gray hairs brown, puffing the gums, etc. Related: Gypped .
7085 Etymology dictionary, p. hack (n.2).2
… ordinary horse, horse for general service (especially for driving or riding, as opposed to war, hunting, or hauling)," c. 1300. This word is probably from the place …
7086 Etymology dictionary, p. hack (v.2).2
… (a horse) for ordinary riding" (1560s), all from hack (n.2).
7087 Etymology dictionary, p. hackamore (n.).2
… horses, 1850, American English, of uncertain origin. OED and Klein suggests a corruption of Spanish jaquima (earlier xaquima ) "halter, headstall of a horse," which …
7088 Etymology dictionary, p. hackney (n.).2
… and horses apparently were kept there. Hence the use for riding horses, with subsequent deterioration of sense (see hack (n.2)). Old French haquenée "ambling nag …
7089 Etymology dictionary, p. hackneyed (adj.).2
… a horse for riding" (1570s), hence "make common by indiscriminate use" (1590s), from hackney (n.), and compare hack (n.2) in its specialized sense of "one who writes anything …
7090 Etymology dictionary, p. halter (n.).2
… a horse," from Proto-Germanic *halftra- "that by which something is held" (source also of Old Saxon haliftra "halter," Old High German halftra, Middle Dutch halfter …
7091 Etymology dictionary, p. hand (n.).5
… of horses. The meaning "playing cards held in one player's hand" is from 1620s; that of "a round at a card game" is from 1620s.
7092 Etymology dictionary, p. handicap (n.).3
… to horse racing is 1754 ( Handy-Cap Match ), where the umpire decrees the superior horse should carry extra weight as a "handicap;" this led to sense of "encumbrance …
7093 Etymology dictionary, p. handicap (v.).2
… the horse-race sense from mid-18c., from handicap (n.). Meaning "put at a disadvantage" is from 1864. Earliest verbal sense, now obsolete, was "to gain as in a wagering …
7094 Etymology dictionary, p. hands down (adv.).2
to win something hands down (1855) is from horse racing, from a jockey's gesture of letting the reins go loose in an easy victory.
7095 Etymology dictionary, p. hangar (n.).2
… which horses are shod" [Gamillscheg, Klein]. Sense of "covered shed for airplanes" first recorded in English 1902, from French use in that sense.
7096 Etymology dictionary, p. hansom (n.).2
"two-wheeled, two-person, one-horse cab or carriage with the driver's seat above and behind," 1847, from James A. Hansom (1803-1882), English architect who designed such a vehicle c. 1834. The surname is from 17c., originally a nickname, handsome .
7097 Etymology dictionary, p. harness (n.).2
… war-horse," from Old French harnois, a noun of broad meaning: "arms, equipment; harness; male genitalia; tackle; household equipment" (12c.), of uncertain origin, perhaps …
7098 Etymology dictionary, p. harlequin (n.).3
A 19th century theory proposes it to be from Old French Herlequin, Hellequin, etc., leader of la maisnie Hellequin (the household of Hellequin) a troop of demons who rode the night air on horses. The English form of the name is Hurlewain.
7099 Etymology dictionary, p. haversack (n.).2
1735, from French havresac (1670s), from Low German hafersach "cavalry trooper's bag for horse provender," literally "oat sack," from the common Germanic word for "oat" (see haver (n.1)) + sack (n.1).
7100 Etymology dictionary, p. hawk (v.1).2
… a horse and cart or a van.