colt

See also: Colt and colț

English

A mare and colt.

Etymology

From Middle English colt, from Old English colt (young donkey, young camel), from Proto-Germanic *kultaz (plump; stump; thick shape, bulb), from Proto-Indo-European *gelt- (something round, pregnant belly, child in the womb), from *gel- (to ball up, amass). Cognate with Norwegian kult (treestump), Swedish kult (young boar, boy, lad). Related to child.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /kɒlt/
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /kəʊlt/, /kɔʊlt/
  • (US) IPA(key): /koʊlt/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -əʊlt

Noun

colt (plural colts)

  1. A young male horse.
    Coordinate term: filly
  2. A young crane (bird).
  3. (figuratively) A youthful or inexperienced person; a novice.
    • 1594, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, I. ii. 38:
      Ay, that's a colt indeed, for he doth nothing but / talk of his horse, and he makes it a great appropriation to / his own good parts that he can shoe him himself.
  4. (nautical) A short piece of rope once used by petty officers as an instrument of punishment.
  5. (biblical) A young camel or donkey.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

colt (third-person singular simple present colts, present participle colting, simple past and past participle colted)

  1. (obsolete, transitive) To horse; to get with young.
  2. (obsolete, transitive) To befool.
  3. To frisk or frolic like a colt; to act licentiously or wantonly.
    • Spenser
      They shook off their bridles and began to colt.

See also

Further reading

References

  • colt in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams


Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old English colt, from Proto-Germanic *kultaz.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kɔlt/, /kɔːlt/

Noun

colt (plural coltes)

  1. A juvenile equid or camel; a colt.
  2. (derogatory, rare) A human child.

Descendants

References

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