bridle
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a horse with a bridle
English
Etymology
From Middle English bridel, from Old English brīdel, from Proto-West Germanic *brigdil, from Proto-Germanic *brigdilaz (“strap, rein”), equivalent to braid + -le.
Pronunciation
Noun
bridle (plural bridles)
- (equestrianism) The headgear with which a horse is directed and which carries a bit and reins.
- 1961, J. A. Philip, “Mimesis in the Sophistês”, in Proceedings and Transactions of the American Philological Association, 92, p. 457:
- […] the horseman, who is the user of bridles and knows their use
- (figurative) A restraint; a curb; a check.
- 1729, Isaac Watts, The Doctrine of the Passions explain'd and improv'd:
- Let wisdom put a bridle on them before they are grown head-strong and unruly
- A length of line or cable attached to two parts of something to spread the force of a pull, as the rigging on a kite for attaching line.
- A mooring hawser.
- A piece in the interior of a gunlock which holds in place the tumbler, sear, etc.
- A gesture expressing pride or vanity.
Derived terms
Translations
headgear for horse
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Verb
bridle (third-person singular simple present bridles, present participle bridling, simple past and past participle bridled)
- (transitive) To put a bridle on.
- 1835, Joseph Rodman Drake, The Culprit Fay:
- He bridled her mouth with a silkweed twist.
- (transitive) To check, restrain, or control with, or as if with, a bridle; as in bridle your tongue.
- 1795–1797, Edmund Burke, “(please specify |letter=1 to 4)”, in [Letters on a Regicide Peace], London: [Rivington]:
- Savoy and Nice, the keys of Italy, and the citadel in her hands to bridle Switzerland, are in that consolidation.
- (intransitive) To show hostility or resentment.
- Immigrant-rights and religious organizations bridled at the plan to favor highly skilled workers over relatives. (Houston Chronicle, 6/8/2007)
- (intransitive) To hold up one's head proudly or affectedly.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
to put a bridle on
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to check, restrain
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to show hostility
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Anagrams
Middle English
Noun
bridle
- Alternative form of bridel