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swingletree

American  
[swing-guhl-tree] / ˈswɪŋ gəlˌtri /

noun

Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S.

  1. a whiffletree.

swingletree British  
/ ˈswɪŋɡəlˌtriː /

noun

  1. Also called: whippletree.   whiffletree.  a crossbar in a horse's harness to which the ends of the traces are attached

"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

Etymology

Origin of swingletree

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; swingle 1, tree

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.

The mare crashed into the rockaway on one side and the bay shattered the swingletree on the other with the forewheel of our buggy.

From Project Gutenberg

I sat in the buggy, holding the reins over the trembling, wild-eyed bay, while William descended and, with great dignity, tied up the disabled swingletree.

From Project Gutenberg

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.