Halter
Pronunciation
- GenAm IPA: /ˈhɔltɚ/
- RP IPA: /ˈhÉ”ËltÉ™/
- Rhymes: -É”ËltÉ™(ɹ)
Origin 1
From Middle English halter, helter, helfter, from Old English hælfter, hælftre ("halter"), from Proto-Germanic *halftrÅ, *halftrijaz ("harness"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kel- ("to cut"), equivalent to - + ter + -. Cognate with Scots helter ("halter"), Dutch halfter, halster ("halter"), Low German halfter, helchter, halter ("halter"), German Halfter ("halter, holster").
Full definition of halter
Noun
halter
(plural halters)- A bitless headpiece of rope or straps, placed on the head of animals such as cattle or horses to lead or tie them.
- A rope with a noose, for hanging criminals; the gallows rope.
- 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.12: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 .
- 1913, w, Lord Stranleigh Abroad Chapter 4, “… 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. …â€
- A woman's garment covering the upper chest, a halter top.
Synonyms
- headstall
- headpiece
- headcollar British
Verb
- To place a halter on.What do you mean, you didn't halter the horses when we stopped for the night?