bridle
[brahyd-l]
- part of the tack or harness of a horse, consisting usually of a headstall, bit, and reins.
- anything that restrains or curbs: His common sense is a bridle to his quick temper.
- Machinery. a link, flange, or other attachment for limiting the movement of any part of a machine.
- Nautical. a rope or chain secured at both ends to an object to be held, lifted, or towed, and itself held or lifted by a rope or chain secured at its center.
- a raising up of the head, as in disdain.
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- to put a bridle on.
- to control or hold back; restrain; curb.
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- to draw up the head and draw in the chin, as in disdain or resentment.
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Origin of bridle
before 900; Middle English bridel, Old English brīdel for brigdels, equivalent to brigd- (variant stem of bregdan to braid) + -els noun suffix; akin to Dutch breidel, Old High German brittel
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
control, deterrent, leash, curb, restraint, rein, check, headstall, halter, hackamore, inhibit, subdue, withhold, suppress, govern, rule, repress, restrain, master, constrainExamples from the Web for bridle
Contemporary Examples
Israelis may bridle at the vision of a Palestinian state which looks like militias riding in on Jeeps and firing-off rifles.
Bridle printed two years' worth of posts in a book, My Life in Tweets, through a self-publishing service.
The retelling developed quite a following, Bridle not included.
Historical Examples
Stephen caught the bridle, and Ambrose helped the burgess into the saddle.
The Armourer's PrenticesCharlotte M. Yonge
Take my bridle off the wall, you, Jeff, and throw it at my feet.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
Alleyne, you will come with me, and lead a spare horse by the bridle.
The White CompanyArthur Conan Doyle
"It is well," said he, and with a shake of the bridle rode on down the woodland path.
The White CompanyArthur Conan Doyle
Shandy gave the bridle a swing, and it clattered to the floor from its peg.
ThoroughbredsW. A. Fraser
bridle
- a headgear for a horse, etc, consisting of a series of buckled straps and a metal mouthpiece (bit) by which the animal is controlled through the reins
- something that curbs or restrains; check
- a Y-shaped cable, rope, or chain, used for holding, towing, etc
- machinery a device by which the motion of a component is limited, often in the form of a linkage or flange
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- (tr) to put a bridle on (a horse, mule, etc)
- (intr) (of a horse) to respond correctly to the pull of the reins
- (tr) to restrain; curbhe bridled his rage
- (intr often foll by at) to show anger, scorn, or indignation
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Word Origin
Old English brigdels; related to bregdan to braid 1, Old High German brittil, Middle Low German breidel
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for bridle
n.
Old English bridel "bridle, rein, curb, restraint," related to bregdan "move quickly," from Proto-Germanic *bregdilaz (see braid (v.)).
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v.
"to control, dominate," c.1200, from Old English bridlian "to fit with a bridle," from bridel (see bridle (n.)). Meaning "to throw up the head" (as a horse does when reined in) is from mid-15c. Related: Bridled; bridling.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper