Link Centre Dictionary

workhorse

work·horse

UK/ˈwɜːkˌhɔːs/ US/ˈwɝkˌhoɹs/ uncommon

noun

1.

machine that performs dependably under heavy use

  • “the IBM main frame computers have been the workhorse of the business world”
2.

a horse used for plowing and hauling and other heavy labor

Origin

From Middle English werkehorse, equivalent to work + horse.

Related words

Broader terms

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.