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cantle

[kan-tl]
noun
  1. the hind part of a saddle, usually curved upward.
  2. a corner; piece; portion: a cantle of land.
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Origin of cantle

1275–1325; Middle English cantel (< Anglo-French) < Medieval Latin cantellus, equivalent to Latin cant(us) (see cant2) + -ellus diminutive suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for cantle

Historical Examples of cantle

  • The hand that rested a moment on the cantle as he rose grasped a “navy-six.”

    Dr. Sevier

    George W. Cable

  • She looked back, turning with a hand on the cantle of her saddle.

  • Her books she had strapped to the saddle-horn; there was a yellow slicker at the cantle.

  • He threw his leg over the cantle of the saddle and stepped softly to the ground.

    'Me-Smith'

    Caroline Lockhart

  • A Mexican saddle with its high pommel and cantle, was fascinating after an English one.

    Across the Mesa

    Jarvis Hall

British Dictionary definitions for cantle

cantle

noun
  1. the back part of a saddle that slopes upwards
  2. a slice; a broken-off piece
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Word Origin for cantle

C14: from Old Northern French cantel, from cant corner; see cant ²
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cantle

n.

early 14c., "a part, a portion," also "a section cut out of anything" (mid-15c.), from Old North French cantel "corner, piece" (Old French chantel, Modern French chanteau), from Medieval Latin cantellus, diminutive of cantus "corner" (see cant (n.2)).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper