halter

hal·ter

halter

1. a rope, cord, strap, etc., usually with a headstall, for tying or leading an animal
2. a bitless headstall, with or without a lead rope
1. a rope for hanging a person; hangman's noose
2. execution by hanging
a garment held up by a cord or loop around the neck and worn by women and girls to bare the shoulders, arms, and back
also called halter top

Origin of halter

Middle English from Old English hælftre (akin to German halfter) from base of helfe (see helve): basic sense “that by which something is held”

to put a halter on (an animal); tie with a halter
to hang (a person)

noun

pl. hal·te′res

either of a pair of knobbed, modified secondary wings serving as balancing organs in dipteran insects

also hal′tere·

Origin of halter

Modern Latin from L, lead weights from Classical Greek halt?r, weight held (to give impetus) in leaping from hallesthai, to leap from Indo-European base an unverified form sel- from source Classical Latin salire

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MLA Style

"halter." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/halter>.

APA Style

halter. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/halter

halter

noun

A device made of rope or straps that fits around the head of an animal and is used to lead or secure the animal.
Archaic
a. A rope with a noose used for execution by hanging.
b. Death or execution by hanging.
A garment having a front supported by a strap or straps running behind the neck, leaving the arms, shoulders, and back bare.

adjective

Of, relating to, or being a garment having a front that is supported by a strap or straps running behind the neck: a halter dress.

transitive verb

hal·tered, hal·ter·ing, hal·ters

To put a halter on.
To control with or as if with a halter.
Archaic To hang (someone).

Origin of halter

Middle English from Old English hælftre

halter¹

or hal·ter·e

noun

pl. hal·ter·es,

Either of the small, clublike balancing organs that are the rudimentary hind wings of flies. Also called balancer .

Origin of halter

Latin haltēr lead weights used in leaping exercises from sing. of Greek haltēres from hallesthai to jump ; see sel- in Indo-European roots.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"halter." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/halter>.

APA Style

halter. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/halter

Noun

(plural halters)

A bitless headpiece of rope or straps, placed on the head of animals such as cattle or horses to lead or tie them.
A rope with a noose, for hanging criminals; the gallows rope.
A woman's garment covering the upper chest, a halter top.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present halters, present participle haltering, simple past and past participle haltered)

To place a halter on.
What do you mean, you didn't halter the horses when we stopped for the night?

Origin

From Middle English halter, helter, helfter, from Old English hælfter, hælftre (“halter”), from Proto-Germanic *halftrō, *halftrijaz (“harness”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kel- (“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”).