(a) A horse [often presumably = (b)]; (b) an adult male horse; male ~.

In phrases: (a) in genitive phrases [difficult to distinguish from combs., see 8. below]; (b) at ~, on ~, on horseback, mounted; ~ and harneis, a horse and its equipment; also, a horse and equipment or arms for the rider; ~ and man, a horse and its rider; of ~, down from one's mount, off one's horse; on ~ and on fot, on horseback and afoot; to ~, to horseback; also, as an order to mount; (c) ~ of armes (werre), a war horse, charger; maister of ~, an official in charge of stables and horses; man of ~, a mounted soldier, horseman; yeman of ~, an assistant to the master of horse; (d) ambling (trotting) ~, an ambling (trotting) horse; bai (grei, whit) ~, etc., bay (gray, white, etc.) horse; gelt ~, a gelding; gret ~, a war horse, charger; heigh ~, a large, splendid horse; wilde ~, an untamed horse; also, a spirited, mettlesome horse; (e) drauen with (wilde) ~, to have (sb.) dragged by (wild) horses as a punishment; todrauen mid (with) ~, toten mid ~; eten lik a ~, to eat much or greedily; halen (harlen) fro ~ fet, to drag (sb.) from under the horses' feet; kepen his ~ bak, to remain mounted.

In proverbs, sayings, and comparisons.

A representation or figure of a horse; ~ hed; whit ~, in place names, referring to the figure of a horse cut in the side of a chalk down [see Smith PNElem. 1.262].

(a) Something which resembles or performs the function of a horse; (b) a little wedge which passes through the central pin of an astrolabe; (c) ampte ~, pl. the pupae of ants.

A horseman, mounted soldier; -- also coll.

?A horse load.

In plant names: (a) ~ chire [?cp. OF chier to void excrement; see Brodin Agnus Castus 242], ?germander Teucrium chamaedrys; ~ claue, ?coltsfoot Tussilago farfara; ~ cod, q.v.; ~ elne, q.v.; ~ (horsen) fertes, ?a kind of scabious; (b) ~ galle, ?the common or lesser centaury Erythraea centaureum; ~ gras, a plant, perhaps foxglove Digitalis purpurea; ~ ivi, ground ivy Glechoma hederacea; ~ hove [i.e. hove n.(1) 'ivy'], Coltsfoot Tussilago farfara; ~ minte, q.v.; (c) ~ pese, some kind of plant, probably one in the gourd family cucurbitaceae; ~ tail, q.v.; ~ thistel, ?a kind of wild lettuce, perhaps Lactuca virosa or Lactuca serriola; ~ toth, some plant [see Hunt, Plant Names, for guesses as to its identity].

In other cpds. & combs. [often difficult to distinguish from phrases, cp. 2. (a)]: (a) ~ aker, a piece of land for which the tenant owed service with a horse; ~ armure, protective armor for a war horse; ~ aver, a money rent in commutation of carrying service with draft horses; ~ bak, q.v.; ~ bere [OE hors-bær], a horse litter; ~ beste, a horse; ~ birthen, horse load; ~ bite, the bit of a horse's bridle; ~ bon, bone of a horse; (b) ~ bred, bread for horses (made of bean meal, pease meal, etc.); ~ charge, horse load; ~ chippe, ?a share-beam for a horse-drawn plow [cp. chippe 1. (c)]; ~ coler, horses coler, horse collar; (c) ~ colt, a young horse, colt; ~ comb, q.v.; ~ dong, horses dong; ~ drit, horse dung; ~ ele, a bloodsucker, leech; ~ fleshes, pl. living horses, horseflesh; ~ flie, some sort of stinging flying insect; ?a gnat; ?a gadfly; ?a hornet; ~ folk, horsemen; ~ fom, horses' slaver; ~ gabulum, = ~ aver; ~ gate, ?a horse path, walk, or pasture; (d) ~ gerth (girdel, girdinge), a horse girth; ~ grese, horse grease used medicinally; ~ halter, a halter for a horse; ~ hames (hamberwe), the hames on the collar of a draft horse; ~ harneis, horses harneis, harness, trappings, armor, or other equipment for a horse; ~ harwe, a horse-drawn harrow; ~ hacche, a rack for horse fodder; ~ her, q.v.; ~ herde [cp. WS hors-hierde, Merc. hors-hiorde & heorde], one who tends horses, a horsekeeper, hostler, innkeeper; (e) ~ hide, a horsehide; ~ hire, payment for the use of a horse, horse hire; ~ hous [cp. OE horshys?hippodrome], an inn [quot.: a1225], horse stable [quot.: 1347-8]; ~ house, a covering of cloth, etc., for the back and flanks of a horse, housing, horsecloth; ~ hove, q.v.; ~ kepere, horse keeper, stableman; ~ kinde (kin), the characteristic nature of a horse, horse kind; horses kipe, ?a kind of saddle basket; (f) ~ knave, stableboy, groom; ~ leche, q.v.; ~ leden, pl. horsemen; ~ litere, a horse litter; ~ lode, horse load; also fig. and humorous; (g) ~ lof, a loaf of horse bread; ~ lok, ?a padlock for a horse fetter; ~ male, a saddlebag; ~ man, q.v.; ~ mane, horses mane, mane of a horse; ~ marwe, horses marwe, the marrow of horse bones; ~ maunger, a manger for horses; ~ mete, food for horses, horse fodder; ?also, an allowance for feeding one's horse; (h) ~ miln, a mill operated by horse power; -- also in place names and surnames; ~ minte, q.v.; ~ mongere, a horse dealer; -- also in street names; ~ nail, a horseshoe nail; -- also as surname; (i) ~ pak, a pack carried on horseback; ~ pisse, horse urine; ~ provende (provendre), fodder for horses; ~ sho, q.v.; ~ skin, a horsehide; horses stepe, ?the print of a horse's hoof or shoe; ~ stre, ?straw for horses; ~ thost, ~ tord, a horse turd; ~ top, the forelock of a horse; ~ trais, horse traces; ~ trusse, a bale of hay, horse load; ~ whip, horse whip; ~ wisp, a wisp of straw or hay for rubbing down a horse.

(a) In place names and local surnames [see Smith PNElem. 1.262]; (b) in occupational and other surnames.