bridle

English

a horse with a bridle

Etymology

From Middle English bridel, from Old English brīdel, from Proto-West Germanic *brigdil, from Proto-Germanic *brigdilaz (“strap, rein”), equivalent to braid +‎ -le.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɹaɪdəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Homophone: bridal
• Rhymes: -aɪdəl

Noun

bridle (plural bridles)

1. (equestrianism) The headgear with which a horse is directed and which carries a bit and reins.
   • 1961, J. A. Philip, “Mimesis in the Sophistês”, in Proceedings and Transactions of the American Philological Association, 92, p. 457:

     […] the horseman, who is the user of bridles and knows their use

2. (figurative) A restraint; a curb; a check.
   • 1729, Isaac Watts, The Doctrine of the Passions explain'd and improv'd:

     Let wisdom put a bridle on them before they are grown head-strong and unruly

3. A length of line or cable attached to two parts of something to spread the force of a pull, as the rigging on a kite for attaching line.
4. A mooring hawser.
5. A piece in the interior of a gunlock which holds in place the tumbler, sear, etc.
6. A gesture expressing pride or vanity.

Derived terms

• bridle iron
• bridleless
• bridlelike
• bridle path
• bridle-path
• bridlepath
• bridler
• bridle trail
• bridleway
• bridlewise
• bridle wrist
• double bridle
• draw bridle
• scold's bridle
• whim-wham for a goose's bridle
• wigwam for a goose's bridle
• witch's bridle

 

Translations

headgear for horse

• Albanian: gjem m, fre (sq) m
• Amharic: ልጓም (ləgʷam)
• Arabic: لِجَام m (lijām), صُرْع m (ṣurʕ), عِنَان m (ʕinān)

  Egyptian Arabic: لجام m (ligām)

• Armenian: սանձ (hy) (sanj)
• Aromanian: fãrnu, frãn
• Azerbaijani: yüyən (az), cilov (az)
• Bashkir: йүгән (yügən)
• Belarusian: вуздэ́чка f (vuzdéčka)
• Bengali: লাগাম (bn) (lagam)
• Bulgarian: юзда́ (bg) f (juzdá)
• Burmese: ဇက်ခွံ့ (my) (jakhkwam.)
• Catalan: brida (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 轡くつわ／辔 (zh) (pèi), 轡くつわ頭あたま／辔头 (zh) (pèitóu), 馬籠まごめ頭あたま／马笼头 (mǎlóngtóu)

• Chuvash: йӗвен (jĕven)
• Cimbrian: brittel m
• Czech: uzda (cs) f
• Dalmatian: braina f
• Danish: bidsel c
• Dutch: hoofdstel (nl) n, toom (nl) m
• Esperanto: brido (eo)
• Estonian: valjad pl
• Faroese: boksl n
• Finnish: suitset (fi) pl (headstall, bit and reins); päitset (fi) pl (headstall)
• French: bride (fr) f
• Friulian: brene f
• Galician: brida f, freo (gl) m
• Georgian: აღვირი (ka) (aɣviri), ლაგამი (ka) (lagami)
• German: Zaumzeug (de) n, Zaum (de) m
• Greek: χαλινάρι (el) n (chalinári)

  Ancient: ἀμπυκτήρ m (ampuktḗr), ἡνίᾱ f (hēníā)

• Gujarati: લગામ f (lagām)
• Hebrew: רֶסֶן (he) m (résen)
• Hindi: लगाम (hi) f (lagām)
• Hungarian: kantár (hu)
• Icelandic: beisli (is) n
• Ido: brido (io)
• Indonesian: kekang (id)
• Irish: srian m
• Italian: briglia (it) f
• Japanese: 手綱たづな (ja) (たづな, tadzuna)
• Kazakh: жүген (kk) (jügen)
• Khmer: បង្ហៀរ (km) (bɑnghiə)
• Korean: 굴레 (gulle), 고삐 (ko) (goppi)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: لْغاو (liẍaw)

  Northern Kurdish: dizgîn (ku), liwan (ku), lixav (ku)

  Southern Kurdish: لْغاو (liẍaw)

• Kyrgyz: жүгөн (ky) (jügön)
• Lao: ແຄ່ມ (khǣm), ໃຫຍ້ (nyai)
• Latin: frēnum n, aurea f
• Latvian: iemaukti m pl
• Lithuanian: kamanos m pl
• Macedonian: узда f (uzda)
• Malay: kekang
• Malayalam: കടിഞ്ഞാൺ (ml) (kaṭiññāṇ)
• Maltese: lġiem m
• Manchu: ᡥᠠᡩᠠᠯᠠ (hadala)
• Maori: paraire, paraehe
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: хазаар (mn) (xazaar)

  Mongolian: ᠬᠠᠵᠠᠭᠠᠷ (qaǰaɣar)

• Norman: bridot m (Jersey)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: bissel n, hodelag n

  Nynorsk: beisel n, hovudlag n

• Old Church Slavonic:

  Cyrillic: оузда f (uzda)

• Old East Slavic: узда f (uzda)
• Old English: brīdel m
• Ottoman Turkish: اویان (oyan)
• Pashto: لگام m (legām)
• Persian: لگام (fa) (legâm), لجام (fa) (lejâm), عنان (fa) ('anân)
• Polish: uzda (pl) f, ogłowie (pl) n, tranzelka f
• Portuguese: brida (pt) f
• Punjabi: ਲਗਾਮ f (lagām)
• Romanian: frâu (ro) n, hăț (ro) n
• Russian: узда́ (ru) f (uzdá), узде́чка (ru) f (uzdéčka)
• Sardinian: frenu
• Scottish Gaelic: srian f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: узде f pl

  Roman: uzde f pl

• Slovak: uzda f
• Slovene: uzda f
• Southern Altai: ӱйген (üygen), ӱгӧн (ügön)
• Spanish: brida (es) f
• Swahili: hatamu
• Swedish: betsel (sv) n
• Tajik: ҷилав (jilav), лаҷом (lajom), инон (inon)
• Tatar: йөгән (tt) (yögän)
• Telugu: కళ్లెము (te) (kaḷlemu)
• Thai: ขลุม (th) (klǔm), บังเหียน (th) (bang-hǐian)
• Tigrinya: ልጓም (ləgʷam)
• Turkish: dizgin (tr), yular (tr)
• Turkmen: jylaw (tk)
• Ukrainian: вузде́чка f (vuzdéčka)
• Urdu: لَگام f (lagām)
• Uyghur: يۈگەن (yügen), تىزگىن (tizgin)
• Uzbek: yugan (uz), jugan (uz)
• Vietnamese: cương ngựa, cương (vi)
• Vilamovian: caum m
• Welsh: ffrwyn f
• Yakut: үүн (üün)

Verb

bridle (third-person singular simple present bridles, present participle bridling, simple past and past participle bridled)

1. (transitive) To put a bridle on.
   • 1835, Joseph Rodman Drake, The Culprit Fay:

     He bridled her mouth with a silkweed twist.

2. (transitive) To check, restrain, or control with, or as if with, a bridle; as in bridle your tongue.
   • 1795–1797, Edmund Burke, “(please specify |letter=1 to 4)”, in [Letters on a Regicide Peace], London: [Rivington]:

     Savoy and Nice, the keys of Italy, and the citadel in her hands to bridle Switzerland, are in that consolidation.

3. (intransitive) To show hostility or resentment.

   Immigrant-rights and religious organizations bridled at the plan to favor highly skilled workers over relatives. (Houston Chronicle, 6/8/2007)

4. (intransitive) To hold up one's head proudly or affectedly.

Synonyms

• restrain

Derived terms

• bridle up
• unbridle

Translations

to put a bridle on

• Armenian: սանձահարել (hy) (sanjaharel)
• Azerbaijani: yüyənləmək
• Czech: nauzdit pf
• Dutch: breidelen (nl)
• Finnish: suitsia (fi)
• French: brider (fr)
• Galician: enfrear (gl), embridar
• German: aufzäumen (de), Zaumzeug anlegen
• Greek:

  Ancient: χαλινόω (khalinóō)

• Ido: bridagar (io)
• Italian: imbrigliare (it)
• Maori: paraire
• Ottoman Turkish: اویانلامق (oyanlamak)
• Polish: kiełznać (pl)
• Russian: взну́здывать (ru) m (vznúzdyvatʹ), взнузда́ть (ru) pf (vznuzdátʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: zauzdati (sh)
• Slovak: zauzdiť pf, zauzďovať impf
• Swedish: betsla (sv)
• Turkish: gemlemek (tr), oyanlamak

to check, restrain

• Armenian: սանձահարել (hy) (sanjaharel)
• Aromanian: nfãrnu
• Bulgarian: обуздавам (bg) (obuzdavam)
• Dutch: intomen (nl), in bedwang houden
• Finnish: suitsia (fi)
• French: brider (fr), refréner (fr)
• German: zügeln (de), in Zaum halten
• Romanian: înfrâna (ro)
• Russian: обу́здывать (ru) impf (obúzdyvatʹ), обузда́ть (ru) pf (obuzdátʹ); сде́рживать (ru) impf (sdérživatʹ), сдержа́ть (ru) pf (sderžátʹ); усмиря́ть (ru) impf (usmirjátʹ), усмири́ть (ru) pf (usmirítʹ); укроща́ть (ru) impf (ukroščátʹ), укроти́ть (ru) pf (ukrotítʹ)

to show hostility

• Dutch: gepikeerd reageren, zich vijandig opstellen
• Finnish: vastustaa (fi)
• French: être susceptible, réagir de manière piquée
• German: feindselig reagieren, abweisend reagieren, sich abweisend verhalten
• Polish: żachnąć się (pl) n
• Serbo-Croatian: obuzdati (sh)

Anagrams

• birled, Bridel, Rebild

Middle English

Noun

bridle

1. Alternative form of bridel