cantle

[ kan-tl ]

/ ˈkæn tl /

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noun

the hind part of a saddle, usually curved upward.

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

Words nearby cantle

cantillation, Cantillon, cantina, canting, canting arms, cantle, cantling, can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, can't make head or tail of, canto, canto fermo

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cantle in a sentence

It was a genuine western, with high horn and high cantle and two cinches, but much reduced in every dimension.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney
A steak had been cut off the full breadth of it—a monstrous cantle from out its fair proportions.
Orley Farm|Anthony Trollope
The term Cantle is sometimes used for either plate, but it is generally accepted as the name for the rear peak.
Armour & Weapons|Charles John Ffoulkes
Immediately outside, in the passage, appeared Grandfer Cantle singing in concert with those still standing in front of the house.
Return of the Native|Thomas Hardy

Grandfer Cantle's watch had numbered many followers in years gone by, but since he had grown older faiths were shaken.
Return of the Native|Thomas Hardy

British Dictionary definitions for cantle

cantle

/ (ˈkæntəl) /

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