swingletree

[ swing-guhl-tree ]

nounChiefly Midland and Southern U.S.

a whiffletree.

Origin of swingletree

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at swingle¹, tree

Also called swiveltree.

Words Nearby swingletree

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use swingletree in a sentence

The cow is attached to each shaft and a small single-tree, or swingletree, by means of a broad strap harness.
Nye and Riley's Wit and Humor (Poems and Yarns) | Bill Nye
The swingletree gear next to it probably was left there during the construction.
The Cultural History of Marlborough, Virginia | C. Malcolm Watkins
The judge looked and looked, and then sot up a laugh; and Ike swingletree began to turn a little pale.
Quodlibet | John P. Kennedy

British Dictionary definitions for swingletree

swingletree

/ (ˈswɪŋɡəlˌtriː) /

noun

a crossbar in a horse's harness to which the ends of the traces are attached: Also called: whippletree, (esp US) whiffletree

Origin of swingletree

C15: from swingle + tree (in the sense: a post or bar)

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

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