halter1
[hawl-ter]
- a rope or strap with a noose or headstall for leading or restraining horses or cattle.
- a rope with a noose for hanging criminals; the hangman's noose; gallows.
- death by hanging.
- Also called halter top. a woman's top, secured behind the neck and across the back, leaving the arms, shoulders, upperback, and often the midriff bare.
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- to put a halter on; restrain as by a halter.
- to hang (a person).
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- (of a garment) having a neckline consisting of a cord, strap, band, or the like that is attached to or forms part of the front of a backless and sleeveless bodice and extends around the neck: a halter dress.
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Origin of halter1
before 1000; Middle English; Old English hælfter; cognate with German Halfter
halter2
[hal-ter]
- one of a pair of slender, club-shaped appendages on the hindmost body segment of a fly, serving to maintain its balance in flight.
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Origin of halter2
< New Latin, special use of Latin halter jumping weight < Greek háltēr, akin to hállesthai, Latin salīre to jump (see saltant)
Also called balancer.
halter3
[hawl-ter]
- a person who halts or brings to a stop.
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Origin of halter3
halter4
[hawl-ter]
- a person who halts, falters, or hesitates.
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Origin of halter4
halt2
[hawlt]
- to falter, as in speech, reasoning, etc.; be hesitant; stumble.
- to be in doubt; waver between alternatives; vacillate.
- Archaic. to be lame; walk lamely; limp.
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- Archaic. lame; limping.
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- Archaic. lameness; a limp.
- (used with a plural verb) lame people, especially severely lamed ones (usually preceded by the): the halt and the blind.
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Origin of halt2
before 900; Middle English; Old English healt; cognate with Old High German halz, Old Norse haltr, Gothic halts, akin to Latin clādēs damage, loss
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
soredamagedharmeddeformedhandicappedbrokenparalyzedimpairedmangledmarredcurbcordropeleashharnessshackledisabledhaltstiffpainedExamples from the Web for halter
Contemporary Examples
“There are many after-hours events where you can show off your halter, strapless shirt or dress, or mini-skirt,” Royer wrote.
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Halter sounded at least a tad reluctant to take on the mantle of the Great Progressive Hope.
The most helpful hint was that twisting the sashes was the key to the halter top.
It featured a brief that extended halfway up the midriff, just below the breasts, and was held up with a halter neck tie.
She was 5-foot-2, 105 pounds, wearing a miniskirt and a halter top with a bare midriff.
Historical Examples
Put a halter round her neck, and sell her for a pot of beer.
The Armourer's PrenticesCharlotte M. Yonge
I've no halter the way I can ride down on the mare, and I must go now quickly.
Riders to the SeaJ. M. Synge
He struck the horse over the flank with the loose end of the halter rein.
In the Midst of AlarmsRobert Barr
They may win, and if they do, it will be our necks that will be put into the yoke--or the halter.
In the ValleyHarold Frederic
When they reached her gate, it was she who took the halter from Elvin's hand, and tied the horse.
Meadow GrassAlice Brown
halter
- a rope or canvas headgear for a horse, usually with a rope for leading
- Also called: halterneck a style of woman's top fastened behind the neck and waist, leaving the back and arms bare
- a rope having a noose for hanging a person
- death by hanging
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- to secure with a halter or put a halter on
- to hang (someone)
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Word Origin
Old English hælfter; related to Old High German halftra, Middle Dutch heliftra
halt1
- an interruption or end to activity, movement, or progress
- mainly British a minor railway station, without permanent buildings
- call a halt to put an end (to something); stop
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- a command to halt, esp as an order when marching
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- to come or bring to a halt
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Word Origin
C17: from the phrase to make halt, translation of German halt machen, from halten to hold 1, stop
halt2
- (esp of logic or verse) to falter or be defective
- to waver or be unsure
- archaic to be lame
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- archaic
- lame
- (as collective noun; preceded by the)the halt
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- archaic lameness
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Word Origin
Old English healt lame; related to Old Norse haltr, Old High German halz lame, Greek kólos maimed, Old Slavonic kladivo hammer
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 halter
n.
Old English hælftre "rope for leading a horse," from West Germanic *halftra- "that by which something is held" (cf. Old Saxon haliftra "halter," Old High German halftra, Middle Dutch halfter; see helve). In women's clothing sense, originally "strap attached to the top of a backless bodice and looped around the neck," 1935, later extended to the tops themselves.
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halt
n.
"a stop, a halting," 1590s, from French halte (16c.) or Italian alto, ultimately from German Halt, imperative from Old High German halten "to hold" (see hold (v.)). A German military command borrowed into the Romanic languages 16c. The verb in this sense is from 1650s, from the noun. Related: Halted; halting.
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halt
adj.
"lame," in Old English lemphalt "limping," from Proto-Germanic *haltaz (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian halt, Old Norse haltr, Old High German halz, Gothic halts "lame"), from PIE *keld-, from root *kel- "to strike, cut," with derivatives meaning "something broken or cut off" (cf. Russian koldyka "lame," Greek kolobos "broken, curtailed"). The noun meaning "one who limps; the lame collectively" is from c.1200.
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halt
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with halter
halt
see call a halt; come to a halt; grind to a halt.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.