stirrup

stirrup
—stirrupless, adj. —stirruplike, adj.
/sterr"euhp, stir"-, stur"-/, n.
1. a loop, ring, or other contrivance of metal, wood, leather, etc., suspended from the saddle of a horse to support the rider's foot.
2. any of various similar supports or clamps used for special purposes.
3. Naut. a short rope with an eye at the end hung from a yard to support a footrope, the footrope being rove through the eye.
4. Also called binder. (in reinforced-concrete constructions) a U-shaped or W-shaped bent rod for supporting longitudinal reinforcing rods.
5. Anat. stapes.
6. -
a. a strap of fabric or elastic at the bottom of a pair of pants, worn around and under the foot.
b. stirrups, (used with a pl. v.) close-fitting knit pants with such straps.
[bef. 1000; ME; OE stigrap (stige ascent + rap ROPE); c. G Stegreif]

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      either of a pair of light frames hung from the saddle attached to the back of an animal—usually a horse or pony. Stirrups are used to support a rider's feet in riding and to aid in mounting. Stirrups probably originated in the Asian steppes about the 2nd century BC. They enormously increased the military value of the horse.

      When the spur reached western Europe in the 8th century, it was combined with the use of the lance and armour to produce a new type of warfare, the shock combat of the mounted knight, in which stirrups helped the rider keep his seat at the moment of impact. Modern stirrups differ little from those of the European Middle Ages. See also saddle.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Stirrup — Stir rup, n. [OE. stirop, AS. stigr[=a]p; st[=i]gan to mount, ascend + r[=a]p a rope; akin to G. stegreif a stirrup. [root]164. See {Sty}, v. i., and {Rope}.] 1. A kind of ring, or bent piece of metal, wood, leather, or the like, horizontal in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • stirrup — O.E. stigrap, lit. climbing rope, from stige a climbing, ascent (from P.Gmc. *stigaz climbing; see STAIR (Cf. stair)) + rap (see ROPE (Cf. rope)). Originally a looped rope as a help for mounting. Gmc. cognates include O.N. stigreip, O.H.G.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • stirrup — [stʉr′əp, stir′əp] n. [ME stirop < OE stigrap, akin to Ger stegreif: for IE bases see STILE2 & ROPE] 1. a ring with a flat bottom hung by a strap, usually on each side of a saddle and used as a footrest in mounting and riding 2. any of various …   English World dictionary

  • stirrup — ► NOUN 1) each of a pair of devices attached at either side of a horse s saddle, in the form of a loop with a flat base to support the rider s foot. 2) (also lithotomy stirrups) a pair of metal supports for the ankles used during gynaecological… …   English terms dictionary

  • Stirrup — For the bone, see stapes. For other uses of the word stirrup, see Stirrup (disambiguation). The stirrup is a ring with a flat bottom fixed on a leather strap, usually hung from each side of a saddle by an adjustable strap to create a footrest for …   Wikipedia

  • stirrup — noun VERB + STIRRUP ▪ adjust ▪ rise in, stand in, stand up in ▪ She stood up in her stirrups to see where the others had gone. STIRRUP + NOUN ▪ …   Collocations dictionary

  • stirrup — n. 1 each of a pair of devices attached to each side of a horse s saddle, in the form of a loop with a flat base to support the rider s foot. 2 (attrib.) having the shape of a stirrup. 3 (in full stirrup bone) = STAPES. Phrases and idioms:… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Stirrup — This very unusual surname is of Anglo Saxon origin, and has two possible sources. Firstly, it may be from a metonymic occupational name for a maker of stirrup irons or stirrup leathers (or both), derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century… …   Surnames reference

  • stirrup — Bridle iron Bri dle i ron (Arch.) A strong flat bar of iron, so bent as to support, as in a stirrup, one end of a floor timber, etc., where no sufficient bearing can be had; called also {stirrup} and {hanger}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • stirrup — noun Etymology: Middle English stirop, from Old English stigrāp, from stig (akin to Old High German stīgan to go up) + rāp rope more at stair, rope Date: before 12th century 1. either of a pair of small light frames or rings for receiving the… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • stirrup — UK [ˈstɪrəp] / US noun [countable] Word forms stirrup : singular stirrup plural stirrups 1) a metal object that supports your foot when you ride a horse 2) a thing that is used for supporting your foot, for example when giving birth 3) a band of… …   English dictionary

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