Link Centre Dictionary

halter

hal·ter

UK/ˈhɒltə/ US/ˈhɔltɚ/ rare
noun (4) verb (2)

noun

1.

rope or canvas headgear for a horse, with a rope for leading

Synonyms
2.

a rope that is used by a hangman to execute persons who have been condemned to death by hanging

Synonyms
3.

a woman''s top that fastens behind the back and neck leaving the back and arms uncovered

4.

either of the club-like rudimentary hind wings of dipterous insects; used for maintaining equilibrium during flight

Synonyms

verb

1.

hang with a halter

2.

prevent the progress or free movement of

  • “He was hampered in his efforts by the bad weather”
  • “the imperialist nation wanted to strangle the free trade between the two small countries”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English halter, helter, helfter, from Old English hælfter, hælftre (“halter”), from Proto-West Germanic *halftrijā (“harness”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to cut”), equivalent to half- + -ter. Cognate with Scots helter (“halter”), Dutch halfter, halster (“halter”), Low German halfter, helchter, halter (“halter”), German Halfter (“halter, holster”).

Phrases

  • halter neck
  • riding halter

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Parts

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.