palfrey

[ pawl-free ]
/ ˈpɔl fri /

noun, plural pal·freys.

a riding horse, as distinguished from a war horse.
a saddle horse particularly suitable for a woman.

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Origin of palfrey

1200–50; Middle English palefrei<Old French <Late Latin paraverēdus post horse for byways, probably literally, spare horse, equivalent to Greek para-para-1 + Latin verēdus fast breed of horse <Gaulish <Celtic *woreidos (>Welsh gorwydd horse, charger), equivalent to *wo- under (<*upo-;cf. hypo-) + *reid-, base of Old Irish réidid (he) rides, réid level, smooth, easy, Welsh rhwydd easy; see ride

OTHER WORDS FROM palfrey

palfreyed, adjective

Words nearby palfrey

paletot, palette, palette knife, pale western cutworm, Paley, palfrey, Palgrave, pali, Pali Canon, palikar, palikinesia
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for palfrey

British Dictionary definitions for palfrey

palfrey
/ (ˈpɔːlfrɪ) /

noun

archaic a light saddle horse, esp ridden by women

Word Origin for palfrey

C12: from Old French palefrei, from Medieval Latin palafredus, from Late Latin paraverēdus, from Greek para beside + Latin verēdus light fleet horse, of Celtic origin
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