caparison

[kuh-par-uh-suh n]

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noun

a decorative covering for a horse or for the tack or harness of a horse; trappings.

rich and sumptuous clothing or equipment.

verb (used with object)

to cover with a caparison.

to dress richly; deck.

Origin of caparison

1585–95; < Middle French caparasson (now caparaçon) < Old Spanish caparazón, akin to capa cape¹

Related formsun·ca·par·i·soned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for caparison

deck, covering, decoration, harness, clothing, trappings, adorn

Examples from the Web for caparison

Historical Examples of caparison

It is a costume imposing and picturesque; while the caparison of his horse is in keeping with it.
Gaspar the Gaucho
Mayne Reid
The Caparison of the knightly steed appears to have been of five kinds.
Ancient Armour and Weapons in Europe
John Hewitt
Caparison, ka-par′is-un, n. the covering of a horse: a rich cloth laid over a war-horse: dress and ornaments generally.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)
Various
The bridling and caparison of his mount, a splendid chestnut, represented alone a small fortune.
The Coming Conquest of England
August Niemann
To his practised eye, their caparison tells that they are intended only for a short excursion, not a journey.
The Flag of Distress
Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for caparison

caparison

noun

a decorated covering for a horse or other animal, esp (formerly) for a warhorse

rich or elaborate clothing and ornaments

verb

(tr) to put a caparison on

Word Origin for caparison

C16: via obsolete French from Old Spanish caparazón saddlecloth, probably from capa cape 1

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 caparison

1570s, "cloth spread over a saddle," also "personal dress and ornaments," from Middle French caparasson (15c., Modern French caparaçon), from Spanish caparazón, perhaps from augmentative of Old Provençal caparasso "a mantle with a hood," or Medieval Latin caparo, the name of a type of cape worn by women, literally "chaperon" (see chaperon). Past participle adjective caparisoned is attested from c.1600, from a verb caparison (1590s), from French caparaçonner, from caparaçon.