n.
Pronunciation: ' m ə s- ˌ ta ŋ
Function: noun
Etymology: Mexican Spanish mestengo, from Spanish, stray, from mesteño strayed, from mesta annual roundup of cattle that disposed of strays, from Medieval Latin ( animalia ) mixta mixed animals
Date: 1808
1 : a small hardy naturalized horse of U.S. western plains directly descended from horses brought in by the Spaniards also : BRONC
2 slang : a commissioned officer (as in the U.S. Navy) who has risen from the ranks