martingale

American  

[mahr-tn-geyl] / ˈmɑr tnˌgeɪl /

noun

1. Also called standing martingale.  part of the tack or harness of a horse, consisting of a strap that fastens to the girth, passes between the forelegs and through a loop in the neckstrap or hame, and fastens to the noseband: used to steady or hold down the horse's head.

2. Also called running martingale.  a similar device that divides at the chest into two branches, each ending in a ring through which the reins pass.

3. Nautical. a stay for a jib boom or spike bowsprit.

4. a system of gambling in which the stakes are doubled or otherwise raised after each loss.

---

martingale British  

/ ˈmɑːtɪnˌɡeɪl /

noun

1. a strap from the reins to the girth of a horse preventing it from carrying its head too high

2. any gambling system in which the stakes are raised, usually doubled, after each loss

3. Also called: martingale boom.  nautical

   1. a chain or cable running from a jib boom to the dolphin striker, serving to counteract strain

   2. another term for dolphin striker

---

Etymology

Origin of martingale

1580–90; < Middle French: kind of hose fastened at the back, allegedly < Provençal martegalo, feminine of martegal, inhabitant of Martigue, town in SE France, though sense apparently influenced by Spanish almártaga harness < Arabic al-martaʿah the vein

Example Sentences

Across the Atlantic, co-authors Manzano and Roldán have been developing a tool from the mathematics of finance -- the martingale theory -- to address the thermodynamic behavior of small fluctuating systems at stopping times.

From Science Daily • May 13, 2024

Still, if you find yourself placing wagers with odds in your favor, ditch the martingale and remember that the Kelly criterion is a better bet.

From Scientific American • Aug. 10, 2023

Second, when I barked out instructions — “Don’t step on the girth!” and “Do you see the martingale anywhere?” — he looked at me as if I had just ordered breakfast in Japanese.

From New York Times • Jul. 31, 2020

“What could this talented YouTuber offer? Surely she didn’t know what a martingale back is to a Balenciaga one-seamed coat,” Talley writes.

From The Guardian • May 23, 2020

Some good horsemen, on finding that the running martingale did not perform its supposed office efficiently, have discarded it altogether, and thenceforth have trusted to their hands to act as their martingale.

From The Horsewoman A Practical Guide to Side-Saddle Riding, 2nd. Ed. by Hayes, M. Horace (Matthew Horace)