cantle

[kan-tl]

noun

the hind part of a saddle, usually curved upward.
a corner; piece; portion: a cantle of land.

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.
The Duke Of Chimney Butte
G. W. Ogden
Her books she had strapped to the saddle-horn; there was a yellow slicker at the cantle.
The Flockmaster of Poison Creek
George W. Ogden
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

the back part of a saddle that slopes upwards
a slice; a broken-off piece

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

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)).