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caparison

[kuh-par-uh-suh n]
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noun
  1. a decorative covering for a horse or for the tack or harness of a horse; trappings.
  2. rich and sumptuous clothing or equipment.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to cover with a caparison.
  2. to dress richly; deck.
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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. 2018

Related Words

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

Examples from the Web for caparison

Historical Examples

  • 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.

  • Caparison, ka-par′is-un, n. the covering of a horse: a rich cloth laid over a war-horse: dress and ornaments generally.

  • The bridling and caparison of his mount, a splendid chestnut, represented alone a small fortune.

  • To his practised eye, their caparison tells that they are intended only for a short excursion, not a journey.

British Dictionary definitions for caparison

caparison

noun
  1. a decorated covering for a horse or other animal, esp (formerly) for a warhorse
  2. rich or elaborate clothing and ornaments
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verb
  1. (tr) to put a caparison on
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Word Origin

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

n.

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper