Thill
/θɪl/noun
Either of the two shafts of a cart or carriage between which a horse is harnessed.
Did you know?Thill is an old Germanic word, and its deeper relatives are tied to the idea of a plank or beam — the kind of solid wood that held pre-modern travel together.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
þille
“A board or plank, especially one forming part of a cart or wagon”
Middle English
ME
thil
“A shaft or pole of a cart”
Old Norse
ON
þil
“A board, plank, or decking”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*thiljon
“A board or plank”
Modern English
English
thill
“One of the shafts of a cart or carriage to which a horse is harnessed”