Stirrup
/ˈstɪr.əp/noun
A loop or ring used to support a rider’s foot while mounted on a horse.
Did you know?The word comes from Old English roots meaning something like a “climbing rope,” showing how everyday riding technology was named for the act of rising into power.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
stīgrāp
“a rope or strap for mounting a horse, literally a climbing-rope”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*stīgaz + *raipaz
“climbing; rope”
Old English
OE
stīgan
“to rise, climb, mount”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*stīganą
“to climb, ascend”
Modern English
English
stirrup
“a loop for the rider’s foot attached to a saddle”