stirrup
noun
- a ring with a flat bottom hung by a strap, usually on each side of a saddle and used as a footrest in mounting and riding
- any of various supports, clamps, etc. resembling or suggesting such a ring
- Naut. a rope hung from a yard and having an eye at the end for supporting a footrope passed through it
- stirrup bone
See stirrup in American Heritage Dictionary 4
stir·rup
noun- A flat-based loop or ring hung from either side of a horse's saddle to support the rider's foot in mounting and riding; a stirrup iron.
- A part or device shaped like an inverted U in which something is supported, held, or fixed.
- Nautical A rope on a ship that hangs from a yard and has an eye at the end through which a footrope is passed for support.
- Anatomy See stapes.
Origin: Middle English stirope, from Old English stīgrāp : stīgan, to mount; see steigh- in Indo-European roots + rāp, rope.
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stirrup
left: Western stirrup
right: English stirrup
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