I. ˈməˌstaŋ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Mexican Spanish mesteño, mestengo, from Spanish, animal without an owner, stray, from mesteño, mestengo, adjective, ownerless, strayed, from mesta, annual roundup of cattle formerly held in Spain, annual meeting of the owners of such cattle that disposed of strays, from Medieval Latin ( animalia ) mixta mixed animals, from Latin animalia animals + mixta, neuter plural of mixtus, past participle of miscēre to mix — more at mix
1.
a. : the small hardy naturalized horse of the western plains directly descended from horses brought in by the Spaniards — compare cayuse 3, indian pony
b. : bronco
2. slang : a commissioned officer (as in the United States Navy) who has risen from the ranks
3. : sphinx 4
II. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to hunt wild horses