MARTINGALE

noun Etymology: Middle French Date: 1584 a device for steadying a horse's head or checking its upward movement that typically consists of a strap fastened to the girth, passing between the forelegs, and bifurcating to end in two rings through which the reins pass, 2. a lower stay of rope or chain for the jibboom used to sustain the strain of the forestays and fastened to or rove through the dolphin striker, dolphin striker , any of several systems of betting in which a player increases the stake usually by doubling each time a bet is lost