Search for: Horses
7461 Etymology dictionary, p. turf (n.).3
… racing horses" (1755). French tourbe "turf" is a Germanic loan-word. The Old English plural was identical with the singular, but in Middle English turves sometimes …
7462 Etymology dictionary, p. turnpike (n.).2
… bar horses from foot roads. This led to the sense of "barrier to stop passage until a toll is paid" (1670s). Meaning "road with a toll gate" is from 1748, shortening …
7463 Etymology dictionary, p. unbridled (adj.).2
… " (of horses) is not recorded before 1550s. The verb unbridle (see un- (2)) is attested from c. 1400 in the literal sense; mid-15c. in the figurative sense.
7464 Etymology dictionary, p. unbroken (adj.).2
… to horses; 1560s in reference to the flow of time. Old English had ungebrocen .
7465 Etymology dictionary, p. undaunted (adj.).2
mid-15c., with reference to horses, "untamed, not broken in," from un- (1) "not" + past participle of daunt (v.). In reference to persons, "intrepid," it is recorded from 1580s.
7466 Etymology dictionary, p. unharness (v.).2
mid-15c., "divest of armor," from un- (2) "opposite of" + harness (v.). Similar formation in Dutch ontharnassen "to disarm." Meaning "to free (a horse) from harness" is recorded from 1610s. Related: Unharnessed; unharnessing .
7467 Etymology dictionary, p. unhorse (v.).2
late 14c., "to throw (someone) from his horse," from un- (2) "opposite of" + horse (v.). Similar formation in Middle Dutch ontorsen .
7468 Etymology dictionary, p. unicorn (n.).3
… a horse's body, deer's head, elephant's feet, lion's tail, and one black horn two cubits long projecting from its forehead. Compare German Einhorn, Welsh ungorn …
7469 Etymology dictionary, p. up (v.).2
… dismounting horses, carriages, etc., is attested from 1796 (earlier was horsing-block, 1660s).
7470 Etymology dictionary, p. vet (v.).2
… a horse before a race) is attested by 1901. Related: Vetted; vetting .
7471 Etymology dictionary, p. vicious (adj.).3
… , especially horses); that of "full of spite, bitter, severe" is from 1825. In law, "marred by some inherent fault" (late 14c.), hence also this sense in logic (c. 1600), as in …
7472 Etymology dictionary, p. wait (v.).3
… in horse-racing.
7473 Etymology dictionary, p. walk (v.).3
… (or horse)" is from late 15c.; meaning "to escort (someone) in a walk" is from 1620s. Meaning "move (a heavy object) by turning and shoving it in a manner suggesting walking …
7474 Etymology dictionary, p. walk (n.).2
… from horse racing (see walk-over ). As a type of sponsored group trek as a fund-raising event, by 1971 ( walk-a-thon is from 1963).
7475 Etymology dictionary, p. walrus (n.).2
… ros "horse") of a Scandinavian word, such as Old Norse rosmhvalr "walrus," hrosshvalr "a kind of whale," or rostungr "walrus." Old English had horschwæl, and later morse …
7476 Etymology dictionary, p. warhorse (n.).2
also war-horse, 1650s, "powerful horse ridden into war," from war (n.) + horse (n.). Figurative sense of "seasoned veteran" of anything is attested from 1837. In reference to women perceived as tough, by 1921.
7477 Etymology dictionary, p. weedy (adj.).2
early 15c., from weed + -y (2). In old slang, in reference to horses, "not of good blood or strength, scraggy, worthless for breeding or racing," from 1800; hence, of persons, "thin and weakly" (1852).
7478 Etymology dictionary, p. weight (v.).2
"to load with weight," 1747 (figuratively, of the mind, from 1640s), from weight (n.). Of horses in a handicap race, 1846. Sense in statistics is recorded from 1901. Related: Weighted; weighting .
7479 Etymology dictionary, p. whicker (v.).2
1650s, "snigger," imitative (compare snicker ). As imitative of a sound made by a horse, from 1753. As the sound of something beating the air, from 1920. Related: Whickered; whickering .
7480 Etymology dictionary, p. Whig.2
… "a horse drover," from dialectal verb whig "to urge forward" + mare. In 1689 the name was first used in reference to members of the British political party that opposed …