colt
English
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 Faroese koltur (“colt, foal”) Norwegian kult (“treestump”), Swedish kult (“young boar, boy, lad”). Related to child.
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /kəʊlt/, [kɔʊlt], (also) /kɒlt/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /koʊlt/
Audio (US): (file) - Rhymes: -əʊlt
Noun
colt (plural colts)
- A young male horse.
- Coordinate term: filly
- A young crane (bird).
- (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.
- 1594, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, I. ii. 38:
- (nautical) A short piece of rope once used by petty officers as an instrument of punishment.
- (biblical) A young camel or donkey.
Derived terms
Translations
young male horse
|
novice
rope
|
Verb
colt (third-person singular simple present colts, present participle colting, simple past and past participle colted)
- (obsolete, transitive) To horse; to get with young.
- 1610, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Cymbeline, II. iv. 133:
- Never talk on't: / She hath been colted by him.
- 1610, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Cymbeline, II. iv. 133:
- (obsolete, transitive) To befool.
- 1594, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1, II. ii. 36:
- What a plague mean ye to colt me thus?
- 1594, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1, II. ii. 36:
- To frisk or frolic like a colt; to act licentiously or wantonly.
- (Can we date this quote by Spenser and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- They shook off their bridles and began to colt.
- (Can we date this quote by Spenser and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
Synonyms
- (to act licentiously or wantonly): See Thesaurus:harlotize
See also
Further reading
References
- “colt”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Anagrams
Middle English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old English colt, from Proto-Germanic *kultaz.
Pronunciation
Noun
colt (plural coltes)
Descendants
References
- “colt (n.)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-08-12.
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/əʊlt
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Nautical
- en:Bible
- English verbs
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English transitive verbs
- Requests for date/Spenser
- en:Baby animals
- en:Cranes (birds)
- en:Horses
- en:Male animals
- Middle English terms inherited from Old English
- Middle English terms derived from Old English
- Middle English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Middle English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English nouns
- Middle English derogatory terms
- Middle English terms with rare senses
- enm:Baby animals
- enm:Equids