Fetlock
/ˈfɛt.lɒk/noun
The tuft of hair or the joint above a horse's hoof.
Did you know?Despite its eerie sound, **fetlock** is not a mystical term at all; it originally referred to the long hair around a horse’s ankle, and its exact origin is uncertain, though it may be linked to an old word for a tuft or lock of hair.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English
English
fetlok
“The tuft of hair on a horse's leg; later, the joint above the hoof.”
Old English
English
?
“No securely attested direct ancestor is known; the word is first recorded in Middle English.”
Modern English
English
fetlock
“The hairy growth behind a horse's pastern, or the joint where the leg bends above the hoof.”
Etymological note
English
uncertain origin
“Possibly from an old word related to a lock or tuft of hair, but no consensus derivation is established.”