Crupper
/ˈkrʌp.ər/noun
A strap passing under a horse’s tail to keep a saddle from slipping forward.
Did you know?Crupper descends from a word for the human buttocks, showing how medieval English often named horse gear with blunt, bodily imagery.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gerbh-
“to scratch, carve, or scratch out”
Late Latin
Latin
cruppa
“the rump or buttocks”
Old French
Old French
croupe
“the rump, haunches, or hindquarters of an animal”
Middle English
English
croppe
“the rump or back part of a horse”
14th–15th Century
English
crupper
“a strap passing under a horse’s tail to keep a saddle in place”
Modern English
English
crupper
“the strap under a horse’s tail that prevents a saddle from slipping forward”