piaffe
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
-
(of a horse) to execute such a movement.
-
(of a rider) to cause a horse to piaffe.
verb (used with object)
noun
Etymology
Origin of piaffe
First recorded in 1755–65, piaffe is from the French word piaffer; imitative
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:
Eva’s task is Foley-ing a piece of film, shot inside a sawdust-strewn barn, depicting the piaffe: a graceful, animated trot in place.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2023
She must learn to make the sounds of a horse prancing in place, a dressage move known as a piaffe.
From New York Times ● Aug. 24, 2023
Among them is the piaffe — the distinctive, high-stepping, bouncing-in-place gait that gives the impression that horse and rider are getting excited about an imminent cup of tea.
From New York Times ● Aug. 14, 2016
The piaffe is probably the most demanding and exquisite movement in the Olympic sport of dressage.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 1, 2016
Q. Ought we to make a horse piaffe who will not bear the rassembler?
From New Method of Horsemanship Including the Breaking and Training of Horses, with Instructions for Obtaining a Good Seat. by Baucher, F.
The correctly piaffing horse, de la Guérinière wrote, “stands in awe of the rider’s hand and legs.”
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 1, 2016
After the toils, rebuffs, and exhilarations of the day, after piaffing busily on the lethal typewriter or schreibmaschine for some hours, a drowsy languor begins to numb the sense.
From Shandygaff by Morley, Christopher
Not only the young swells, but the old politicians and the celebrated generals, used to go "titupping" down the Row, passaging, traversing, and piaffing to the admiration of all beholders.
From Patroclus and Penelope A Chat in the Saddle by Dodge, Theodore Ayrault
It is sufficient, then, in order to accustom the horse to this performance, to stop him while he is piaffing, by forcing him to contract one of his legs.
From New Method of Horsemanship Including the Breaking and Training of Horses, with Instructions for Obtaining a Good Seat. by Baucher, F.
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.
