caparison

American  

[kuh-par-uh-suhn] / kəˈpær ə sən /

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.

caparison British  

/ kəˈpærɪsən /

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

Other Word Forms

• uncaparisoned adjective

Etymology

Origin of caparison

1585–95; < Middle French caparasson (now caparaçon ) < Old Spanish caparazón, akin to capa cape ¹

Example Sentences

The black motif would have also been on the prince's surcoat worn over his armour, and on the horse's caparison.

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2014

In Kollum, a group calling itself the Pooram-Perunaal Celebration Committee was denied a permit to march 52 elephants in protest; the members dressed a bulldozer in a gold-plated caparison and marched with that instead.

From New York Times • May 26, 2012

This time Yerby's missile is dressed in full medieval caparison.

From Time Magazine Archive

Hope wore it on NBC-TV's quiz show, Play Your Hunch, where contestants guessed about the number of constellations in her high-carat caparison.

From Time Magazine Archive

Neither they nor Rameses and his lion are wounded, though all stained with blood and dust, while the head-plumes of the team are torn and tattered and their caparison broken.

From Egyptian Literature Comprising Egyptian tales, hymns, litanies, invocations, the Book of the Dead, and cuneiform writings by Wilson, Epiphanius