Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
noun
One of a team of horses which is nearest to the wheels of a carriage, as opposed to a leader or forward horse.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, dated
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A person who labors heavily for a particular cause, without being concerned about recognition.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A foot-propelled vehicle; a bicycle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical, obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kwel- Proto-Indo-European *kwekwléh2 Proto-Germanic *hweulō Old English hwēol Middle English whel English wheel Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós? Proto-Indo-European *h1wers-? Proto-Indo-European *wers- Proto-Indo-European *-ḗn Proto-Indo-European *wérsēn Proto-Indo-Iranian *(w)ŕ̥šā Proto-Iranian *(w)ŕ̥šāder.? Proto-Germanic *hrussą Proto-West Germanic *hross Old English hors Middle English hors English horse English wheelhorse From wheel + horse. Sense 2 (“person who labors heavily for a cause”) is from the fact that a horse nearest to the wheels of a carriage that it is drawing does much of the pulling work.
Across languages
1 source translations are retained for this English entry.
