gelding

[ gel-ding ]

/ ˈgɛl dɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gelding ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a castrated male animal, especially a horse.

a eunuch.

Nearby words

Origin of gelding

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Old Norse word geldingr. See geld¹, -ing³

geld

[ geld ]

/ gɛld /

verb (used with object), geld·ed or gelt, geld·ing.

to castrate (an animal, especially a horse).

to take strength, vitality, or power from; weaken or subdue.

Origin of geld

1250–1300; Middle English gelden < Old Norse gelda

Related formsgeld·er, nounun·geld·ed, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for gelding

As a gelding, Mine That Bird obviously has no breeding future.
Can These Two Horses Save Racing?|Sally Denton|June 4, 2009|DAILY BEAST
After gelding took care of that final problem, his career blossomed.
Can These Two Horses Save Racing?|Sally Denton|June 4, 2009|DAILY BEAST
A gelding not uncommonly takes the place of the mare as the bearer of the bell.
Shifts and Expedients of Camp Life, Travel & Exploration|W. B. Lord
Nor is the first sixth a fit day for a girl to be born, but a kindly for gelding kids and sheep and for fencing in a sheep-cote.
Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns, and Homerica|Homer and Hesiod

"The landlord knows me and knows the gelding," said the little man.
The Yeoman Adventurer|George W. Gough
Drew pointed the gelding back down the road and booted the animal into a trot.
Ride Proud, Rebel!|Andre Alice Norton
It seemed to me ages before I could rouse my senses, wipe my eyes, and mount the gelding.
A Man in the Open|Roger Pocock

British Dictionary definitions for gelding

gelding

/ (ˈɡɛldɪŋ) /

noun

a castrated male horse

Word Origin for gelding

C14: from Old Norse geldingr; see geld 1, -ing 1

geld

/ (ɡɛld) /

verb gelds, gelding, gelded or gelt (tr)

to castrate (a horse or other animal)

to deprive of virility or vitality; emasculate; weaken

Derived Formsgelder, noun

Word Origin for geld

C13: from Old Norse gelda, from geldr barren

geld

/ (ɡɛld) /

noun

a tax on land levied in late Anglo-Saxon and Norman England

Word Origin for geld

Old English gield service, tax; related to Old Norse gjald tribute, Old Frisian jeld, Old High German gelt retribution, income

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 gelding

gelding

late 13c. (as a surname), from Old Norse geldingr, from gelda "castrate" (see geld (v.)).

geld

"royal tax in medieval England," Old English gield "payment, tribute," from Proto-Germanic *geldam "payment" (cf. Middle High German gelt "payment, contribution," German geld "money," Old Norse gjald "payment," Gothic gild "tribute, tax"), from PIE root of yield (v.).

geld

"to castrate," c.1300, from Old Norse gelda "castrate" from geldr "barren," from Proto-Germanic *galdu-, from PIE *ghel- "to cut." Related: Gelded. Cf. Old Norse geldr "yielding no milk, dry," Old High German galt "barren," said of a cow.

gelding

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of gelding

geld

verb (used with object), geld·ed or gelt, geld·ing.

Origin of geld

Examples from the Web for gelding

gelding

noun

Word Origin for gelding

geld

verb gelds, gelding, gelded or gelt (tr)

Word Origin for geld

geld

noun

Word Origin for geld

gelding

geld

geld