Search for: Horses
7421 Etymology dictionary, p. sumpter (n.).4
Used from mid-15c. of horses and mules for carrying loads.
7422 Etymology dictionary, p. surcingle (n.).2
"a girth for a horse" or other animal, mid-14c., sursengle, from Old French surcengle, from sur- "over" (see sur- (1)) + cengle "a girdle," from Latin cingulum "girth" (see cinch (n.)).
7423 Etymology dictionary, p. sway-backed (adj.).2
of a horse, "having the back naturally sagging," 1670s, according to OED of Scandinavian origin, perhaps related to obsolete Danish sveibaget in the same sense. See sway (v.) + back (n.). As a noun by 1913, "a sway-backed condition."
7424 Etymology dictionary, p. sweat (n.).4
… a horse for exercise" (c. 1700).
7425 Etymology dictionary, p. sweater (n.).3
As "woolen vest or jersey," by 1882, originally worn by rowers in training, from earlier sweaters "clothes worn (by a man or horse) to produce sweating and reduce weight" (1828), plural agent noun from sweat (v.).
7426 Etymology dictionary, p. switch (n.).4
The meaning "mechanical device for changing the direction of a moving body from one course to another" is attested by 1797 of (horse-drawn) railways.
7427 Etymology dictionary, p. tack (n.2).2
"horse's harness, etc.," 1924, shortening of tackle (n.) in sense of "equipment." Tack in a non-equestrian sense as a shortening of tackle is recorded in dialect from 1777.
7428 Etymology dictionary, p. tacky (adj.2).2
… neglected horse; pony or little horse of low price" (by 1800), a word of uncertain origin. The wild horses of Chincoteague on the Eastern Shore were called marsh …
7429 Etymology dictionary, p. tackle (v.).2
mid-14c., takelen, "entangle, involve," from tackle (n.). Originally figurative; the sense of "to furnish (a ship) with tackles" in preparation for sailing is from c. 1400. The meaning "harness a horse" is recorded from 1714.
7430 Etymology dictionary, p. tail (n.1).2
… tagl "horse's tail," Gothic tagl "hair"), according to Watkins from PIE *doklos, from suffixed form of root *dek- (2) "something long and thin" (referring to such things …
7431 Etymology dictionary, p. talk (v.).6
To talk big "speak boastfully" 1690s. To talk someone's ear off is by 1871 (the older thing talked off was the hind leg of a horse or other quadruped, by 1808).
7432 Etymology dictionary, p. tame (adj.).4
… break (horses)" (source also of Sanskrit damayati "tames;" Persian dam "a tame animal;" Greek daman "to tame, subdue," dametos "tame;" Latin domare "to tame, subdue;" Old Irish …
7433 Etymology dictionary, p. tan (n.).4
… riding horses, hence tan had for a time 19c. a figurative association with the circus ring.
7434 Etymology dictionary, p. tandem (n.).2
… by horses harnessed one behind the other" (instead of side-by-side), jocular use of Latin tandem "at length (of time), at last, so much," from tam "so" (from PIE *tam-, adverbial …
7435 Etymology dictionary, p. tattersall (n.).2
… of horse blankets, in reference to Tattersall's, the famous London horse market and gambler's rendezvous, founded 1766 by Richard Tattersall (1724-1795 …
7436 Etymology dictionary, p. Taurus (n.).3
… stor "horse, draft animal," Gothic stiur "young bull," Old English steor; according to Watkins it is an extended form of the root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm."
7437 Etymology dictionary, p. taxi (n.).2
… in horse-drawn cabs.
7438 Etymology dictionary, p. teamster (n.).2
"person who drives a team" of horses, etc., especially in hauling freight, 1776, from team (n.) in the "set of draft animals" sense + -ster. Transferred to motor truck drivers by 1907.
7439 Etymology dictionary, p. teamwork (n.).2
… of horses, oxen, etc." (as distinguished from manual labor), from team (n.) + work (n.). Attested by 1889 in extended sense of "work done by the combined action of a team of …
7440 Etymology dictionary, p. tear-down (n.).2
… (a horse);" late 14c. as "raze a wall, gate, etc., by pulling it to pieces by force." The sense of "criticize harshly" is by 1938. Tearer-downer "one who dismantles" is by 1942 …