/mahr"tn gayl'/ , n.
1. Also called standing martingale . part of the tack or harness of a horse, consisting of a strap that fastens to the girth, passes between the forelegs and through a loop in the neckstrap or hame, and fastens to the noseband: used to steady or hold down the horse's head. See illus. under harness .
2. Also called running martingale . a similar device that divides at the chest into two branches, each ending in a ring through which the reins pass.
3. Naut. a stay for a jib boom or spike bowsprit.
4. a system of gambling in which the stakes are doubled or otherwise raised after each loss.
[ 1580-90; martegalo, fem. of martegal, inhabitant of Martigue, town in SE France, though sense appar. influenced by Sp almártaga harness al-marta'ah the vein ]