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postilion

American  
[poh-stil-yuhn, po-] / poʊˈstɪl jən, pɒ- /
especially British, postillion

noun

  1. a person who rides the left horse of the leading or only pair of horses drawing a carriage.


postilion British  
/ pɒˈstɪljən /

noun

  1. a person who rides the near horse of the leaders in order to guide a team of horses drawing a coach

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of postilion

1580–90; earlier postillon < Middle French < Italian postiglione, derivative of posta post 3

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:

He helped stabilize a postilion of need as a platoon designated hitter.

From Seattle Times Nov. 14, 2023

It weighs four tonnes and is pulled at walking pace by eight grey horses, with a mounted rider or postilion for each pair.

From BBC May 4, 2023

The postilion who was riding the horse sprawled upon the road.

From Time Magazine Archive

Don't disturb yourself, monsieur," grumbled the postilion, who had now got one of his horses on its legs; "'tis nothing!

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 60, No. 373, November 1846 by Various

Death in a pair of jack-boots leads the postilion.

From The Dance of Death Exhibited in Elegant Engravings on Wood with a Dissertation on the Several Representations of that Subject but More Particularly on Those Ascribed to Macaber and Hans Holbein by Douce, Francis

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