halter
A bitless headpiece of rope or straps, placed on the head of animals such as cattle or horses to lead or tie them.
Noun
- A bitless headpiece of rope or straps, placed on the head of animals such as cattle or horses to lead or tie them.
Synonyms: headstall headpiece headcollar
- A rope with a noose, for hanging criminals; the gallows rope.
- And Crates said, that love was cured with hunger, if not by time; and in him that liked not these two meanes, by the halter [translating hart]. - 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The...
- “[…]No rogue e’er felt the halter draw, with a good opinion of the law, and perhaps my own detestation of the law arises from my having frequently broken it.[…].” - 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 4, in Lord Stranleigh...
Synonyms: collar Bridport dagger halter hangman's knot hangman's noose hempen collar hempen cravat
- A halter top.
Origin
From Middle English halter, helter, helfter, from Old English hælfter, hælftre (“halter”), from Proto-West Germanic *halftrijā (“harness”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to cut”), equivalent to half- + -ter. Cognate with Scots helter (“halter”), Dutch halfter, halster (“halter”), Low German halfter, helchter, halter (“halter”), German Halfter (“halter, holster”).
Forms
Derived
halterbreak halterini halterkini halterless halterneck halter neck halterpath halter-sack halter-top riding halter slip-halter unhalter wag-halter
Noun Entry 2
- One who halts or limps; a cripple.
Origin
Etymology tree English halt Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzijos Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English halter From halt + -er.
Forms
Noun alt of, alternative
- Alternative form of haltere.
Forms
Verb
- To place a halter on.
- What do you mean, you didn't halter the horses when we stopped for the night?
- The two Indians were finished with their own saddling, the camp gear was packed, and already the extra saddle horses and their one packhorse' were haltered so they could be led back to the ranch. - 1981, James Powell,...