I. ˈsad ə l noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English sadel, from Old English sadol, sadul; akin to Old High German satul saddle, Old Norse söthull; all from a prehistoric Germanic word perhaps borrowed from an eastern Indo-European word represented by Old Slavic sedlo saddle; akin to Latin sedēre to sit — more at sit
1.
a.
(1) : a seat shaped to fit the inside contours of the buttocks of a rider on horseback and made of a leather-covered wooden frame that is padded to comfortably span a horse's back, raised in front and rear, provided with stirrups, and secured by a girth passing under the belly of the horse
a journey of 63 miles in the saddle — Sacramento (Calif.) Bee
few horses are worked under saddle … for fear they will break down — A.J.Liebling
— see english saddle , mcclellan saddle , stock saddle
(2) : a padded part of a harness centered on a horse's back, fastened with a girth, and used to keep the breeching in place and to carry guides for the reins
(3) : an adaptation of a riding saddle — see packsaddle
b. : a seat similarly designed to be straddled on a bicycle, tricycle, motorcycle, or similar vehicle — see bicycle illustration
c. : the part of a gymnastics side horse between the pommels
2. : a device mounted as a support and often shaped to fit the object held: as
a. : a hollowed block of wood attached to a spar on a ship as a crutch for another spar
b. : a block over which the cables of a suspension bridge pass or to which they are anchored
c. : the part of a gun carriage that supports the trunnions
d.
(1) : a sliding carriage for a tool or work-holding table on a machine tool (as a lathe or a milling machine)
(2) : the part of a binder's sewing machine on which the sections of a book are spread and placed for sewing
e. : chair 5a
f. : a seating for a cylindrical steam boiler
g. : the part of a partial denture that carries an artificial tooth and has connectors for adjacent teeth attached to its ends
h. : a fitting mounted on a pipe (as a gas or sewer main) for attaching a new connection (as a service line) where no branch has been provided and the main is not thick enough for direct connection
i. : a transverse log with a depression cut in it to guide logs along a skid road
j. : a fired clay support for ceramic ware during a glazing fire
3.
a.
(1) : a ridge connecting two higher elevations : a low point in the crest line of a ridge
(2) : col 2
b. : saddle reef
c. : a minor upfold along the axis of a syncline
d. : a minor downfold along the axis of an anticline
4. : a part or marking of an animal suggesting the saddle of a horse in form or position:
a.
(1) : hindsaddle
a saddle of mutton
(2) : both sides of the unsplit back of a carcass including both loins : the undivided loins prepared for roasting
(3) : the lower part of the back with the hind legs of a frog
b.
(1) : a colored marking on the back of an animal
(2) : a portion of a suture in a cephalopod shell that forms an angle or curve whose convexity is directed toward the orifice of the shell — opposed to lobe
(3) : the rear part of a male fowl's back extending to the tail and covered by long narrow feathers resembling the true hackle — see cock illustration
(4) : the clitellum of an earthworm
(5) : ephippium 2
5.
a. : cricket 5
b. : the metal covering of a roll on a metal-covered roof
c. or saddleback ˈ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ : a ridge that divides a coaling hatch of a ship so that the coal is diverted into the bunkers at each side
6. : a two-number combination selected to appear among the numbers that will win in a lottery
7. : a strip of thin board or metal covering the floor joint on the threshold of a door : sill
8. : a bridging piece between a pair of cylinders in a locomotive
9. : the central part of the backbone of the binding of a book
10.
a. : an ornamental piece or pair of pieces of leather extending across the instep of a shoe and often contrasting in color or design
b. : saddle shoe
11. : a canvas jacket used on turkey hens to prevent injury during treading
12. : a folded paper attached over a bag closure to label or strengthen (as for hanging on display) — called also header
•
- in the saddle
[s]saddle.jpg[/s] [
saddle 1a(1): 1 western, 2 English
]
II. verb
( saddled ; saddled ; saddling -d( ə )liŋ ; saddles )
Etymology: Middle English sadelen, sadlen, from Old English sadelian; akin to Old High German gi satilen to saddle, Old Norse söthla; denominative from the root of Old English sadol saddle
transitive verb
1. : to put a saddle upon
saddled their horses and mounted and rode up to the door — Irving Bacheller
— often used with up
2.
a. : to place under a burden or encumbrance : weigh down with an onerous responsibility or restriction — usually used with with
finds himself saddled with a woman he does not want — Vernon Jarratt
the taxpayers of the nation would be saddled with the tremendous burden of the additional costs — U.S. Code
saddling the nation with restrictive laws — New Republic
b. : to place (an onerous responsibility, restriction, or reputation) on a person or group — usually used with on
the military attempt to saddle on labor the responsibility for shortages — Atlantic
saddle tighter government and military control on the nation — Lindesay Parrott
3. : to put in place, support, join, or shape by or as if by means of a saddle
4. : to put on like a saddle : to cause to straddle
barn swallows which … saddled their nest in the loop of a rope — John Burroughs
saddle the stag's carcass on a pony
5. : to send (a horse that one has trained) into a race
the trainer who has saddled the greatest number of winners — Harry Disston
intransitive verb
1. : to mount a saddled horse
2. : to put a saddle on an animal
had to saddle for him the first few times
— often used with up
Synonyms: see burden
III. adjective
Etymology: saddle (I)
1.
a. : of or attached to a saddle
a saddle holster
b. : designed for use while riding horseback
a saddle coat
a saddle rifle
2. : ridden with or suitable for riding with a saddle
a saddle pony
bareback bronc riding and saddle bronc riding
3. : caused by riding or by being under a saddle
saddle soreness
a saddle irritation
4. : resembling a saddle in shape or position
saddle fuel tanks
5.
a. : riding horseback : mounted
a saddle preacher
b. : of or relating to horsemanship with a saddle horse
won the five-gaited saddle championship