Search for: Horses
7301 Etymology dictionary, p. racer (n.).2
"one who or that which races," 1640s of persons, 1660s of horses, 1793 of vehicles, by 1809 in American English in reference to a type of snake; agent nouns from race (v.).
7302 Etymology dictionary, p. rack (v.1).4
… for horses kept overnight" (1743).
7303 Etymology dictionary, p. rack (n.2).2
… a horse, between a trot and a gallop or canter, 1580s, from rack (v.) "move with a fast, lively gait" (1520s, implied in racking ), which is of unknown origin; perhaps from …
7304 Etymology dictionary, p. rare (v.).2
"rise up on the hind legs," as a horse, lion, etc., 1833, dialectal variant of rear (v.1). Sense of "eager" (in raring to go ) is recorded by 1909. Related: Rared; raring .
7305 Etymology dictionary, p. ready (adj.).2
Middle English redi, with adjectival suffix -i (as in busy, crafty, hungry, etc.) + Old English ræde, geræde "prepared, ready, suitably equipped;" of a horse, "ready for riding."
7306 Etymology dictionary, p. recalcitrant (adj.).2
… " (of horses), also "be inaccessible," in Late Latin "to be petulant or disobedient;" from re- "back" (see re- ) + Latin calcitrare "to kick," from calx (genitive calcis ) "heel" (see …
7307 Etymology dictionary, p. refuse (v.).3
… of horses); that of "repudiate, disown, disavow" is attested from early 15c. but now is obsolete. Nares reports that God refuse me! was "formerly a fashionable imprecation …
7308 Etymology dictionary, p. rein (n.).3
… of horses; to give (a horse) the reins (1620s) is to allow it free motion.
7309 Etymology dictionary, p. rein (v.).2
… (a horse), tether," a sense now obsolete, from rein (n.). From early 15c. as "to pull on the bridle with the reins," to restrain or guide the horse, hence the figurative extension …
7310 Etymology dictionary, p. relay (v.).2
… "change horses, take a fresh horse," from Old French relaiier, from relai (see relay (n.)). The word seems to have faded out by 19c. but was re-formed in electromagnetics …
7311 Etymology dictionary, p. relay (n.).4
… )." Of horses, 1650s. As "a squad of men to take a spell or turn of work at stated intervals," by 1808. As a type of foot-race, it is attested from 1898. The electromagnetic …
7312 Etymology dictionary, p. restive (adj.).3
… of horses (attested by 1680s) probably is based on the notion of "unmanageable, impatient in restraint" in reference to a horse refusing to go forward (1650s …
7313 Etymology dictionary, p. restive (adj.).4
But it also is perhaps influenced by rest (v.), an old aphetic form of arrest "to stop, check," and by confusion with restless. Compare resty in the same sense, 1510s of horses, c. 1600 of persons. Related: Restively; restiveness .
7314 Etymology dictionary, p. ridden (adj.).2
… , via horses, is from "that which has been ridden upon" to "broken in" (1520s) to, in compounds, "oppressed, taken advantage of" (1650s). In reference to witches, nightmares …
7315 Etymology dictionary, p. ride (v.).3
… a horse, especially harshly or arrogantly. The verb in venery is from mid-13c.
7316 Etymology dictionary, p. ride (n.).2
1759, "a journey on the back of a horse or in a vehicle," from ride (v.).
7317 Etymology dictionary, p. ride (n.).3
By 1815 as "a turn or spell of riding." By 1787 as "a saddle horse;" slang meaning "a motor vehicle" is recorded from 1930. The sense of "amusement park device" is from 1934.
7318 Etymology dictionary, p. rig (n.1).2
… a horse-drawn vehicle (1831) led to the sense of "truck, bus, etc." (1851); and apparatus for well-sinking (1875).
7319 Etymology dictionary, p. ringer (n.).4
… the horse-racing slang sense of "a fast horse entered fraudulently in a race in place of a slow one." The verb to ring in reference to this is attested from 1812 …
7320 Etymology dictionary, p. rip (n.3).2
… -out horse" (1778, though OED regards this earlier appearance as "prob. accidental"), a word of uncertain origin, perhaps altered from slang rep "man of loose character …