horseback

English

President Reagan and Queen Elizabeth II on horseback at Windsor Castle, 1982

Etymology

From Middle English horsebacke, horsebak, horsbak, equivalent to horse +‎ back.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhɔɹsˌbæk/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhɔːsˌbæk/

Noun

horseback (countable and uncountable, plural horsebacks)

1. (usually with on, upon, etc.) The back of a horse.

   They came on horseback across the plains.

2. (countable) A ridge of sand, gravel, and boulders.

Synonyms

• (ridge): esker

Coordinate terms

• birdback, boarback, buffaloback, catback, cowback, dogback, donkeyback, dragonback, eagleback, elephantback, goatback, lionback, llamaback, manback, muleback, oxback, pigback, ponyback, tigerback, unicornback, yakback, zebraback

Derived terms

• angels on horseback
• devils on horseback
• eggs on horseback
• set a beggar on horseback and he'll ride to the Devil

Translations

back of a horse

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 馬背／马背 (zh) (mǎbèi)

• Finnish: hevosen selkä
• German: Pferderücken (de) m
• Hungarian: lóhát (hu)
• Icelandic: hestbak (is)
• Japanese: 馬の背 (うまのせ, uma no se)
• Middle English: horsbak
• Norwegian: hesterygg m
• Russian: спина́ ло́шади f (spiná lóšadi)

ridge of sand, gravel, and boulders

• Finnish: harju (fi)
• Russian: гре́бень (ru) m (grébenʹ), гряда́ (ru) f (grjadá)

Adverb

horseback (not comparable)

1. On the back of a horse.

   He rode horseback into town.

Synonyms

• ahorse, ahorseback, on horseback

Translations

on the back of a horse

• Bashkir: һыбай (hıbay)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 馬上／马上 (zh) (mǎshàng)

• Finnish: ratsain (fi)
• French: à cheval (fr)
• Galician: a cabalo
• German: zu Pferde
• Greek: καβάλα (el) (kavála), καβαλαρία (el) (kavalaría)

  Ancient Greek: ἐπι ἵππου (epi híppou)

• Irish: ar chapall, ar dhroim capaill, ar muin capaill
• Italian: a cavallo (it)
• Japanese: 馬に乗って (うまにのって, uma ni notte)
• Latin: in equō
• Old Church Slavonic: на кони (na koni)
• Portuguese: a cavalo
• Russian: верхо́м (ru) (verxóm) (на ло́шади)
• Spanish: a caballo

Anagrams

• backshore