swingletree

[ swing-guhl-tree ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S.

swingletree

/ ˈswɪŋɡəlˌtriː /

a crossbar in a horse's harness to which the ends of the traces are attached Also calledwhippletreeesp USwhiffletree

Discover More

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; swingle ¹, tree

Discover More

C15: from swingle + tree (in the sense: a post or bar)

Discover More

The cow is attached to each shaft and a small single-tree, or swingletree, by means of a broad strap harness.

The swingletree gear next to it probably was left there during the construction.

The judge looked and looked, and then sot up a laugh; and Ike Swingletree began to turn a little pale.

Browse