Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Horse

Horse

(hôrs)
,
Noun.
[AS.
hors
; akin to OS.
hros
, D. & OHG.
ros
, G.
ross
, Icel.
hross
; and perh. to L.
currere
to run, E.
course
,
current
Cf.
Walrus
.]
1.
(Zool.)
A hoofed quadruped of the genus
Equus
; especially, the domestic horse (
Equus caballus
), which was domesticated in Egypt and Asia at a very early period. It has six broad molars, on each side of each jaw, with six incisors, and two canine teeth, both above and below. The mares usually have the canine teeth rudimentary or wanting. The horse differs from the true asses, in having a long, flowing mane, and the tail bushy to the base. Unlike the asses it has callosities, or chestnuts, on all its legs. The horse excels in strength, speed, docility, courage, and nobleness of character, and is used for drawing, carrying, bearing a rider, and like purposes.
☞ Many varieties, differing in form, size, color, gait, speed, etc., are known, but all are believed to have been derived from the same original species. It is supposed to have been a native of the plains of Central Asia, but the wild species from which it was derived is not certainly known. The feral horses of America are domestic horses that have run wild; and it is probably true that most of those of Asia have a similar origin. Some of the true wild Asiatic horses do, however, approach the domestic horse in several characteristics.
Several species of fossil (
Equus
) are known from the later Tertiary formations of Europe and America. The fossil species of other genera of the family
Equidæ
are also often called
horses
, in general sense.
2.
The male of the genus
Equus
, in distinction from the female or male; usually, a castrated male.
3.
Mounted soldiery; cavalry; – used without the plural termination;
as, a regiment of
horse
; – distinguished from
foot
.
The armies were appointed, consisting of twenty-five thousand
horse
and foot.
Bacon.
4.
A frame with legs, used to support something;
as, a clothes
horse
, a saw
horse
, etc.
5.
A frame of timber, shaped like a horse, on which soldiers were made to ride for punishment.
6.
Anything, actual or figurative, on which one rides as on a horse; a hobby.
7.
(Mining)
A mass of earthy matter, or rock of the same character as the wall rock, occurring in the course of a vein, as of coal or ore; hence, to take horse – said of a vein – is to divide into branches for a distance.
8.
(Naut.)
(a)
See
Footrope
,
Adj.
(b)
A breastband for a leadsman.
(c)
An iron bar for a sheet traveler to slide upon.
(d)
A jackstay.
W. C. Russell.
Totten.
☞ Horse is much used adjectively and in composition to signify of, or having to do with, a horse or horses, like a horse, etc.; as, horse collar, horse dealer or horse[GREEK]dealer, horsehoe, horse jockey; and hence, often in the sense of strong, loud, coarse, etc.; as, horselaugh, horse nettle or horse-nettle, horseplay, horse ant, etc.
Black horse
,
Blood horse
,
etc. See under
Black
, etc.
–
Horse aloes
,
caballine aloes.
–
Horse ant
(Zool.)
,
a large ant (
Formica rufa
); – called also
horse emmet
.
–
Horse artillery
,
that portion of the artillery in which the cannoneers are mounted, and which usually serves with the cavalry; flying artillery.
–
Horse balm
(Bot.)
,
a strong-scented labiate plant (
Collinsonia Canadensis
), having large leaves and yellowish flowers.
–
Horse bean
(Bot.)
,
a variety of the English or Windsor bean (
Faba vulgaris
), grown for feeding horses.
–
Horse boat
,
a boat for conveying horses and cattle, or a boat propelled by horses.
–
Horse bot
.
(Zool.)
See
Botfly
, and
Bots
.
–
Horse box
,
a railroad car for transporting valuable horses, as hunters.
[Eng.]
–
Horse breaker
or
Horse trainer
,
one employed in subduing or training horses for use.
–
Horse car
.
(a)
A railroad car drawn by horses. See under
Car
.
(b)
A car fitted for transporting horses.
–
Horse cassia
(Bot.)
,
a leguminous plant (
Cassia Javanica
), bearing long pods, which contain a black, catharic pulp, much used in the East Indies as a horse medicine.
–
Horse cloth
,
a cloth to cover a horse.
–
Horse conch
(Zool.)
,
a large, spiral, marine shell of the genus Triton. See
Triton
.
–
Horse courser
.
(a)
One that runs horses, or keeps horses for racing.
Johnson.
(b)
A dealer in horses.
[Obs.]
Wiseman.
–
Horse crab
(Zool.)
,
the Limulus; – called also
horsefoot
,
horsehoe crab
, and
king crab
.
–
Horse crevallé
(Zool.)
,
the cavally.
–
Horse emmet
(Zool.)
,
the horse ant.
–
Horse finch
(Zool.)
,
the chaffinch.
[Prov. Eng.]
–
Horse gentian
(Bot.)
,
fever root.
–
Horse iron
(Naut.)
,
a large calking iron.
–
Horse latitudes
,
a space in the North Atlantic famous for calms and baffling winds, being between the westerly winds of higher latitudes and the trade winds.
Ham. Nav. Encyc.
–
Horse mackrel
.
(Zool.)
(a)
The common tunny (
Orcynus thunnus
), found on the Atlantic coast of Europe and America, and in the Mediterranean.
(b)
The bluefish (
Pomatomus saltatrix
).
(c)
The scad.
(d)
The name is locally applied to various other fishes, as the California hake, the black candlefish, the jurel, the bluefish, etc.
–
Horse marine
(Naut.)
,
an awkward, lubbery person; one of a mythical body of marine cavalry.
[Slang]
–
Horse mussel
(Zool.)
,
a large, marine mussel (
Modiola modiolus
), found on the northern shores of Europe and America.
–
Horse nettle
(Bot.)
,
a coarse, prickly, American herb, the
Solanum Carolinense
.
–
Horse parsley
.
(Bot.)
See
Alexanders
.
–
Horse purslain
(Bot.)
,
a coarse fleshy weed of tropical America (
Trianthema monogymnum
).
–
Horse race
,
a race by horses; a match of horses in running or trotting.
–
Horse racing
,
the practice of racing with horses.
–
Horse railroad
,
a railroad on which the cars are drawn by horses; – in England, and sometimes in the United States, called a
tramway
.
–
Horse run
(Civil Engin.)
,
a device for drawing loaded wheelbarrows up an inclined plane by horse power.
–
Horse sense
,
strong common sense.
[Colloq. U.S.]
–
Horse soldier
,
a cavalryman.
–
Horse sponge
(Zool.)
,
a large, coarse, commercial sponge (
Spongia equina
).
–
Horse stinger
(Zool.)
, a large dragon fly.
[Prov. Eng.]
–
Horse sugar
(Bot.)
,
a shrub of the southern part of the United States (
Symplocos tinctoria
), whose leaves are sweet, and good for fodder.
–
Horse tick
(Zool.)
,
a winged, dipterous insect (
Hippobosca equina
), which troubles horses by biting them, and sucking their blood; – called also
horsefly
,
horse louse
, and
forest fly
.
–
Horse vetch
(Bot.)
,
a plant of the genus
Hippocrepis
(
Hippocrepis comosa
), cultivated for the beauty of its flowers; – called also
horsehoe vetch
, from the peculiar shape of its pods.
–
Iron horse
,
a locomotive.
[Colloq.]
–
Salt horse
,
the sailor’s name for salt beef.
–
To look a gift horse in the mouth
,
to examine the mouth of a horse which has been received as a gift, in order to ascertain his age; – hence, to accept favors in a critical and thankless spirit.
Lowell.
–
To take horse
.
(a)
To set out on horseback.
Macaulay.
(b)
To be covered, as a mare.
(c)
See definition 7 (above).

Horse

(hôrs)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Horsed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Horsing
.]
[AS.
horsion
.]
1.
To provide with a horse, or with horses; to mount on, or as on, a horse.
“Being better horsed, outrode me.”
Shak.
2.
To sit astride of; to bestride.
Shak.
3.
To mate with (a mare); – said of the male.
4.
To take or carry on the back;
as, the keeper,
horsing
a deer
.
S. Butler.
5.
To place on the back of another, or on a wooden horse, etc., to be flogged; to subject to such punishment.

Horse

,
Verb.
I.
To get on horseback.
[Obs.]
Shelton.

Webster 1828 Edition

Horse

HORSE

,
Noun.
hors.
1.
A species of quadrupeds of the genus Equus, having six erect and parallel fore-teeth in the upper jaw, and six somewhat prominent in the under jaw; the dog teeth are solitary, and the feet consist of an undivided hoof. The horse is a beautiful animal, and of great use for draught or conveyance on his back. Horse, in English, is of common gender, and may comprehend the male and female.
2.
A constellation.
3.
Cavalry; a body of troops serving on horseback. In this sense, it has no plural termination. We say, a thousand horse, a regiment of horse.
4.
A machine by which something is supported; usually a wooden frame with legs. Various machines used in the arts are thus called.
5.
A wooden machine on which soldiers ride by way of punishment; sometimes called a timber-mare.
6.
In seamen's language, a rope extending from the middle of a yard to its extremity, to support the sailors while they loose, reef or furl the sails, also, a thick rope extended near the mast for hoisting a yard or extending a sail on it.
To take horse to set out to ride on horseback.
1.
To be covered, as a mare.

HORSE

,
Verb.
T.
To mount on a horse.
1.
To carry on the back.
The keeper, horsing a deer.
2.
To ride astride; as ridges horsed.
3.
To cover a mare, as the male.

Definition 2024

Horse

Horse

See also: horse, HORSE, H.O.R.S.E., and H-O-R-S-E

English

Proper noun

Horse

  1. The seventh of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.

horse

horse

See also: HORSE, Horse, H.O.R.S.E., and H-O-R-S-E

English

Noun

horse ‎(plural horses)

  1. (heading) Any of several animals related to Equus ferus caballus.
    1. A hoofed mammal, of the genus Equus, often used throughout history for riding and draft work.
      A cowboy's greatest friend is his horse.‎
      • 1893, Walter Besant, The Ivory Gate, Prologue:
        Athelstan Arundel walked home […], foaming and raging. […] He walked the whole way, walking through crowds, and under the noses of dray-horses, carriage-horses, and cart-horses, without taking the least notice of them.
      • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:
        The departure was not unduly prolonged. […] Within the door Mrs. Spoker hastily imparted to Mrs. Love a few final sentiments on the subject of Divine Intention in the disposition of buckets; farewells and last commiserations; a deep, guttural instigation to the horse; and the wheels of the waggonette crunched heavily away into obscurity.
    2. (zoology) Any current or extinct animal of the family Equidae, including the zebra or the ass.
      These bone features, distinctive in the zebra, are actually present in all horses.‎
    3. (military, sometimes uncountable) Cavalry soldiers (sometimes capitalized when referring to an official category).
      We should place two units of horse and one of foot on this side of the field.‎
      All the King's horses and all the King's men, couldn't put Humpty together again.‎
    4. (chess, informal) The chess piece representing a knight, depicted as a horse.
      Now just remind me how the horse moves again?‎
    5. (slang) A large person.
      Every linebacker they have is a real horse.‎
    6. (historical) A timber frame shaped like a horse, which soldiers were made to ride for punishment.
  2. (heading) Equipment with legs.
    1. In gymnastics, a piece of equipment with a body on two or four legs, approximately four feet high with two handles on top.
      She's scored very highly with the parallel bars; let's see how she does with the horse.‎
    2. A frame with legs, used to support something.
      a clothes horse; a sawhorse‎
  3. (heading, nautical) Equipment.
    1. A rope stretching along a yard, upon which men stand when reefing or furling the sails; footrope.
    2. A breastband for a leadsman.
    3. An iron bar for a sheet traveller to slide upon.
    4. A jackstay.
      (Can we find and add a quotation of W. C. Russell to this entry?)
      (Can we find and add a quotation of Totten to this entry?)
  4. (mining) A mass of earthy matter, or rock of the same character as the wall rock, occurring in the course of a vein, as of coal or ore; hence, to take horse (said of a vein) is to divide into branches for a distance.
  5. (slang) The sedative, antidepressant, and anxiolytic drug morphine, chiefly when used illicitly.
    • 1962, Cape Fear, 00:15:20
      Check that shirt. I got a couple of jolts of horse stashed under the collar
  6. (US) An informal variant of basketball in which players match shots made by their opponent(s), each miss adding a letter to the word "horse", with 5 misses spelling the whole word and eliminating a player, until only the winner is left. Also HORSE, H-O-R-S-E or H.O.R.S.E. (see H-O-R-S-E on Wikipedia.Wikipedia ).
  7. (dated, slang, among students) A translation or other illegitimate aid in study or examination.
  8. (dated, slang, among students) horseplay; tomfoolery
Usage notes
Synonyms
Hyponyms
Derived terms
See also
  • Horse-related English words
Translations

Verb

horse ‎(third-person singular simple present horses, present participle horsing, simple past and past participle horsed)

  1. (intransitive) To frolic, to act mischievously. (Usually followed by "around".)
    • (Can we date this quote?) Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (script)
      "Genghis Khan! Abe Lincoln! That’s funny until someone gets hurt."
      But Genghis Khan and Lincoln keep horsing around.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Ted Lawson, Thirty Seconds over Tokyo:
      I told him that if I passed out before we got to a hospital I wanted him to see to it that no quack horsed around with my leg.
  2. (transitive) To provide with a horse.
    • Shakespeare
      being better horsed, outrode me
  3. (obsolete) To get on horseback.
  4. To sit astride of; to bestride.
  5. (of a male horse) To copulate with (a mare).
  6. To take or carry on the back.
    • S. Butler
      the keeper, horsing a deer
  7. To place on the back of another person, or on a wooden horse, etc., to be flogged; to subject to such punishment.
    • 1963, Charles Harold Nichols, Many Thousand Gone
      So they brought him out and horsed him upon the back of Planter George, and whipped him until he fell quivering in the dust.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

Unknown

Noun

horse ‎(uncountable)

  1. (uncountable, slang, dated) Heroin (drug).
    Alright, mate, got any horse?
Synonyms
Translations
External links

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: desire · greater · army · #566: horse · send · peace · glad

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English horse, hors, from Old English hors ‎(“horse”), metathesis from Proto-Germanic *hrussą ‎(“horse”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sos ‎(“horse”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- ‎(“to run”).

A common horse

Pronunciation

Similar Results