palfrey
Americannoun
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a riding horse, as distinguished from a war horse.
-
a saddle horse particularly suitable for a woman.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The huntsman, drawn in a simple wagon by a white palfrey, has concealed himself and the wagon behind leaves and branches.
From Time Magazine Archive
It was well after dark when Devan came down to Black Betha, leading a snow-white palfrey.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
I was ashamed to be caught staring, but I put my hands on the palfrey, and he gentled, as they always do.
From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz
Leading his horse and the horse limping, head down, head down, as fine a horse as I’ve ever seen — a fair gray palfrey, a wondrous horse — but I was gazing at the boy.
From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz
By the time he reached the stable, Dolorous Edd had the lord commander’s palfrey saddled and bridled and waiting for him.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
It is not by the display of power and pomp, a cavalcade of retainers and richly housed palfreys, nor by gorgeous apparel, that the heretics win proselytes.
From Time Magazine Archive
When it comes to the vital business of battles, eye-gougings, jeweled garters, entrancing moles on the thigh, and the neighing of palfreys, Shellabarger writes rings around the Maugham of Then and Now.
From Time Magazine Archive
Most of their palfreys were gone as well.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Some had bear-paws for their horses too, and the shaggy little garrons wore them as easily as other mounts wore iron horseshoes ... but the palfreys and destriers wanted no part of them.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Their garrons were sure-footed beasts that ate iess than palfreys, and much less than the big destriers, and the men who rode them were at home in the snow.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
