Word.ws English Dictionary

saddle

Syllables: sad·dleUK/ˈsædl̩//ˈsæd(ə)l/

saddle noun: a seat for a rider, typically made of leather and raised in the front and rear, placed on the back of a horse or other animal, and secured by a strap around the animal's body.

saddle: a seat for a rider, typically made of leather and raised in the front and rear, placed on the back...
Image: Alex brollo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

saddle (plural saddles)

  1. A seat for a rider, typically made of leather and raised in the front and rear, placed on the back of a horse or other animal, and secured by a strap around the animal's body.
    • His [Cotton's] Horſe vvas led before, vvith a mourning Veluet Saddle on his backe, his Coffin had a Crimſon Sattin Quilt lined with purple Silke, ouer him vvas laid his Bible, Svvord and Hat: […]1634, T[homas] H[erbert], “The Death of Sir Dodmore Cotton Ambassadour, at Cazbeen”, in A Relation of Some Yeares Trauaile, Begunne Anno 1626. into Afrique and the Greater Asia, […], London: […]...
    • My horse's bridle they [robbers] slipt, and search'd yᵉ saddle, which they pull'd off, but let the horse graze, and then turning againe bridl'd him and tied him to a tree, yet so as he might graze, and thus left me bound.1652 June 20 (Gregorian calendar), John Evelyn, “[Diary entry for 11 June 1652]”, in William Bray, editor, Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, […], 2nd edition, volume I...
    1. A similar implement used to secure goods to animals; a packsaddle.
    2. Synonym of harness saddle (“the part of a harness which supports the weight of poles or shafts attaching a vehicle to a horse or other animal”).
    3. A cushion used as a seat in a cart or other vehicle.
    4. The immovable seat of a bicycle, motorcycle, or similar vehicle.
    5. (broadly) Chiefly preceded by the: horse-riding as an activity or occupation.
      • [A] good horſeman, […] is ſkilfull to knovv, and hable to tell others, hovv, by certain ſure ſignes, a man may choiſe a colte, that is like to prove an other day excellent for the ſaddle.1545, Roger Ascham, Toxophilus, the Schole of Shootinge […], London: […] Edouardi Whytchurch, →OCLC
      • [A]nd the third ſort [of camel] are called Ragnahil, vvhich are of lovver ſtature and learner bodies then the reſidue, vnfit for burthen, and therefore are vſed for the ſaddle, by all the Noble men of Numidia, Arabia, and Libia: […]1607, Conradus Gesnerus [i.e., Conrad Gessner]; Edward Topsell, “Of the Camell Dromedarie”, in The Historie of Foure-footed Beastes. […], London: […] William Iaggard, →OCLC, page 99
    6. (broadly) Synonym of saddle brown (“a medium brown colour, like that of saddle leather”).
  2. A low point, in the shape of a saddle, between two hills.
    • The Hill Zeliſco bore S.E. vvhich is a very high Hill in the Country, vvith a Saddle or bending on the top.1697, William Dampier, chapter IX, in A New Voyage Round the World. […], London: […] James Knapton, […], →OCLC, page 267
    • [W]e had to dismount and lead our animals [camels] up a narrow hill-path with broken steps of rock so polished by long years of passing feet that they were dangerous in wet weather. […] After fifteen minutes of this we were glad to reach a high saddle on which former travellers had piled little...1922 (date written; published 1926), T[homas] E[dward] Lawrence, “Book III: A Railway Diversion. Chapter XXXI.”, in Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran & Company...
  3. A cut of meat that includes both loins and part of the backbone.
    • To roast a leg, haunch, or saddle of mutton. […] A modern refinement is to put laver in the dripping-pan, which, in basting, imparts a high gout; or a large saddle may be served over a pound and a half of laver, stewed in brown sauce with catsup and seasonings.1847, Margaret Dods [pseudonym; Christian Isobel Johnstone], “Roasting”, in The Cook and Housewife’s Manual. […], 8th edition, Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd; London; Simpkin, Marshall, & Co., →OCLC...
    • Certainly, in the gravy soups, turbot, hare, roast saddles, cabinet puddings, boiled eggs at tea-time and bread and butter and meat paste with the morning tray, one tasted one's own decadence: a tradition had been preserved in order to humiliate. Perhaps it really was time the British limped out of...1958, Anthony Burgess, chapter 6, in The Enemy in the Blanket (The Malayan Trilogy), London: William Heinemann, published 1979, →ISBN, page 71
  4. The part of a denture which holds the artificial teeth.
  5. An equipment part, such as a flange, which is hollowed out to fit upon a convex surface and serve as a means of attachment or support.
    • […] with this arrangement the cylinders are cast separately from the saddle, and bolted to the frames on each side with a fabricated stiffener between the frames. This stiffener is carried up to form the saddle for the smokebox, and within it is fitted the exhaust pipes from the cylinders to the...1944 November and December, “Modified G.W.R. "Hall" Class Locomotives”, in Railway Magazine, page 350
  6. An anticline (“fold with strata sloping downwards on each side”); specifically, a depression located along the axial trend of such a fold.
  7. (Australia) Synonym of saddle reef (“a saddle-shaped bedded mineral (usually gold-bearing quartz) vein occurring along the crest of an anticline or (less common) a syncline (an inverted saddle)”).
    Synonyms:
    saddle reef
  8. Synonym of saddle point (“a point in the range of a smooth function, every neighbourhood of which contains points on each side of its tangent plane”).
    Synonyms:
    saddle point
  9. The part of a guitar which supports the strings and, in an acoustic guitar, transfers their vibrations through the bridge to the soundboard.
  10. A small object (traditionally made of ebony) at the bottom of a string instrument such as a cello, viola, or violin below the tailpiece on which the tailgut (“cord securing the tailpiece to the instrument”) rests.
  11. A block of wood with concave depressions at the top and bottom, usually fastened to one spar and shaped to receive the end of another.
  12. The threshold, the raised floorboard in a doorway.
    • Door Shoes - (doors with saddle threshold) are [strips that] provide a seal between the door and the threshold.1994 09, DIANE Publishing Company, Four-H Home Conservation Guide: A Collection of Hands-On Projects and Information Which Teach Home Energy Conservation Skills, DIANE Publishing, →ISBN, page 7
    • How to Replace an Exterior Door Threshold. 1. [Image of a floorboard in a doorway.] Remove the old saddle. This may be as easy as unscrewing the saddle and prying it out. If necessary, cut the old saddle in two using a reciprocating saw, then pry out the saddle. Be careful not to damage the...2008 September 1, Editors of Creative Publishing, Black & Decker The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair: with 350 Projects and 2000 Photos, Cool Springs Press, →ISBN, page 119
Show 6 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. The clitellum of an earthworm (family Lumbricidae).
  2. The lower part of the back of a domestic fowl, especially a male bird, bearing the saddle feathers or saddle hackles.
  3. In full saddle marking or saddle patch: a saddle-like marking on an animal, such as one on the back of an adult harp seal or saddleback seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus), or any of numerous such markings on a boa constrictor (Boa constrictor).
  4. (US) A piece of leather stitched across the instep of a shoe, usually having a different colour from the rest of the shoe.
  5. (US) Synonym of saddle oxford or saddle shoe (“a shoe, resembling an oxford, which has a saddle (sense 11.1)”).
    • 'Now then … What'll it be, boys?' Mr Berman asked. / My mother answered. 'Brown-and-white saddles for Fudge and loafers for Peter.'1972, Judy Blume, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, New York, N.Y.: Dutton Children’s Books, →ISBN, page 56
    Synonyms:
    saddle oxford or saddle shoe
  6. A timeslot between two popular programmes, in which another programme can be scheduled to encourage people to watch it.
    • In "hammocking," a new program is placed in the "saddle" between two established hits, or "tent poles."1995, Lee Bogart, Commercial Culture: The Media System and the Public Interest, page 227

Verb

saddle (third-person singular simple present saddles, present participle saddling, simple past and past participle saddled)

  1. (transitive) To put a saddle (noun sense 1) on (an animal).
    • Then roſe Balaam vp in the mornynge, & ſadled his Aſſe, & wente wͪ the prynces of yͤ Moabites.1535 October 14 (Gregorian calendar), Myles Coverdale, transl., Biblia: The Byble, […] (Coverdale Bible), [Cologne or Marburg]: [Eucharius Cervicornus and Johannes Soter?], →OCLC, Numerus [Numbers]...
    • Saddle your horſe on the race day in the ſtable before you leade him forth, and fixe both the pannell and the girthes to his backe and ſides vvith Shooe-makers vvaxe to preuent all daungers.1615, G[ervase] M[arkham], “[The Husbandmans Recreations: […].] Of the Ordering and Dyeting of the Running Horse.”, in Countrey Contentments, in Two Bookes: The First, Containing the Whole Art of...
  2. (transitive) To put (something) on to another thing like a saddle on an animal.
    • Reſolv'd for Sea, the Slaves thy Baggage pack; / Each ſaddled, vvith his Burden on his back: […]1693, Aulus Persius Flaccus, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus.] The Fifth Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […] Together...
    • The centre of the nest is what I would call saddled on the bough, the materials being laid so that the nest is thinner in its middle part and thicker at the two opposite sides, so as to have a firm hold.1831, John James Audubon, “Purple Grackle or Common Crow-blackbird. Quiscalus versicolor, Vieill. […]”, in Ornithological Biography, or An Account of the Habits of the Birds of the United States of...
  3. (figuratively, transitive) To enter (a trained horse) into a race.
  4. (figuratively, transitive, often passive voice) Chiefly followed by with: to burden or encumber (someone) with some problem or responsibility.
    • He has been saddled with the task of collecting evidence of the theft.
    • They went shopping and left me saddled with two children to look after.
  5. (figuratively, transitive) Chiefly followed by on or upon: to place (a burden or responsibility) or thrust (a problem) on someone.
    • I did not dislose the name of the man I proposed, because I found her only too eager to marry anyone upon whom she could saddle her debts, and so make him either pay them or change places with her.1881, Walter Besant, James Rice, “How Lord Chudleigh Received His Freedom”, in The Chaplain of the Fleet […], volume III, London: Chatto and Windus, […], →OCLC, part II (The Queen of the Wells), page...
  6. (archaic, figuratively, transitive) To control or restrain (someone or something), as if using a saddle; to bridle, to harness, to rein in.
    • But he never would believe that Providence had sent a few men into the world ready booted and spurred to ride, and millions ready saddled and bridled to be ridden.1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter V, in The History of England from the Accession of James II, volume I, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, page 567
  7. (figuratively, obsolete, rare, transitive) To get (someone) to do a burdensome task.
    • Picked up Sotheby, who endeavoured to saddle me for a review of his polyglot Virgil. I fear I shall scarce convince him that I know nothing of the Latin lingo.1826 October 25 (date written), Walter Scott, “[Entry dated 25 October 1826]”, in David Douglas, editor, The Journal of Sir Walter Scott […], volume I, Edinburgh: David Douglas, published 1890...
  8. (transitive) To cut a saddle-shaped notch in (a log or other piece of wood) so it can fit together with other such logs or pieces; also, to fit (logs or other pieces of wood) together with this method.
  9. (obsolete, transitive) To put something on to (another thing) like a saddle on an animal.
  10. (Canada, US, intransitive) To put a saddle on an animal.
    • Next day, while we were saddling, Ali and Abd el Kader appeared.1922 (date written; published 1926), T[homas] E[dward] Lawrence, “Book VI: The Raid upon the Bridges. Chapter LXXI.”, in Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran &...
  11. (Canada, US, intransitive) Of a person: to get into a saddle.
    • Till the dead midnight we saddled not,— / I have journeyed far and fast— / And hither I come to carry thee back / Ere the darkness shall be past.c. 1844 June (date written), Gottfried August Bürger, translated by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Lenore […], London: Ellis and Elvey, […], published 1900, →OCLC, page 26
    • [A]y, every churl who owns a manor, if he dares—must needs arm and saddle, and levy war on his own behalf, and harry and slay the King's lieges, if he have not garlic to his roast goose every time he chooses […]1866, C[harles] Kingsley, “How Hereward Was Outlawed, and Went North to Seek His Fortunes”, in Hereward the Wake, “Last of the English.” […], volume I, London; Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Macmillan...

Proper noun capitalized: Saddle

Saddle

  1. A sub-sitio in the sitio of Proper Pudong, barangay of Pudong, Kapangan, Benguet, Philippines.
    • NOW, THEREFORE, I, MANNY E. FERMIN, by virtue ofthe powers vested in me as the duly elected Municipal Mayor of Kapangan, do hereby order the lifting of the lockdown in Sub-Sitio Saddle, Proper Pudong, Kapangan, Benguet.2020 July 2, “An Order Lifting the Lockdown in Sub-Sitio Saddle, Proper Pudong, Kapangan, Benguet”, in Executive Order No. 31 - 2020

saddle meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali

saddle in Hindi

seat for a rider placed on the back of a horse or other animal
काठी kāṭhī, ज़ीन zīn, चारजामा cārjāmā, पलान palān

saddle in Tamil

சேணம், பொறுப்புச் சுமத்து, பொறுப்பைச் சுமத்து, பரியாசனம், குதிரைச் சேணம், குவடு

saddle in Urdu

seat for a rider placed on the back of a horse or other animal
زِین zīn

saddle in Bengali

seat for a rider placed on the back of a horse or other animal
জিন jin
More languagesFewer languages
saddle in Telugu
జీను jīnu
saddle in Malayalam
ജീനി jīni
saddle in Punjabi
ਸੈਡਲ
saddle in Gujarati
પલાણ palāṇ
saddle in Odia
ସାଡେଲ୍, ସାଡଲ, ସାଡେଲ
saddle in Sanskrit
पल्याण palyāṇa, पलायन palāyana
saddle in Pashto
چرم
saddle in Tagalog
siya
saddle in Arabic
سَرْج sarj, مَرْكَب markab, سرج sarg
saddle in Malay
pelana, jin, sekedup
saddle in Indonesian
sadel, daging pelana
saddle in Persian
زِین zīn, زین zin
saddle in Thai
อาน aan
saddle in Vietnamese
yên, yên xe
saddle in Myanmar
ကုန်းနှီး kun:hni:

Examples of saddle in a sentence

  • He is saddled with house payments now, so he can't afford to spend more money.
  • I saw many brave men cut down, many fall mortally wounded from their saddles.[1877], Anna Sewell, “An Old War Horse”, in Black Beauty: […], London: Jarrold and Sons, […], →OCLC, part III, page 164:
  • Well said!—are thy friends ripe for the saddle?1835, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], “Looking after the Halter when the Mare is Stolen”, in Rienzi, the Last of the Tribunes. […], volume I...
  • 'Sir King, mine ancient wound is hardly whole, / And lets me from the saddle;' and the King / Glanced first at him, then her, and went his way.1859, Alfred Tennyson, “Elaine”, in Idylls of the King, London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC, page 152:
  • So we continue climbing to the saddle of the Kleine Scheidegg, where ahead there comes into view the wide expanse of the Grindelwald valley, backed by the snowy crown of the Wetterhorn.1960 December, Voyageur [pseudonym], “The Mountain Railways of the Bernese Oberland”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing...

All 40 example sentences with saddle

Synonyms of saddle

All synonyms of saddle

Forms of saddle

Noun
pluralsaddles
Verb
third-person singular presentsaddles
present participlesaddling
past participlesaddled
pastsaddled
second-person singular present (archaic)saddlest
second-person singular past (archaic)saddledst
third-person singular present (archaic)saddleth

Past tense of saddle: saddled

Plural of saddle: saddles

Origin of saddle

From Middle English sadel, from Old English sadol, from Proto-West Germanic *sadul, from Proto-Germanic *sadulaz (“saddle”). Further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *sod-dʰlo-, from *sed- (“to sit”) + *-dʰlom (a variant of *-trom (suffix forming nouns denoting instruments or tools)), though the Oxford English Dictionary says this “presents formal difficulties”. Cognates * Danish sadel * Dutch zadel * German Sattel * Icelandic söðull * Low German Sadel * Russian седло́ (sedló) * Saterland Frisian Soadel * Scots sadil * Swedish sadel * West Frisian seal

From Middle English sadelen (“to put a saddle on (an animal), to saddle”) [and other forms], from Old English sadolian, sadelian, sadilian (“to saddle”), from Proto-Germanic *sadulōną (“to saddle”), from *sadulaz (“a saddle”, noun) (see further at etymology 1) + *-ōną (suffix forming denominative verbs from nouns). Cognates * Middle Dutch sādelen (modern Dutch zadelen) * Middle Low German sādelen * Old Danish sathlæ (modern Danish sadle) * Old High German satalōn, satulōn (Middle High German satelen, sateln, German satteln) * Old Norse sǫðla * Old Swedish saþla (modern Swedish sadla)

Words formed from saddle

Phrases with saddle

63 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with saddle

Questions about saddle

What does saddle mean?
Saddle means a seat for a rider, typically made of leather and raised in the front and rear, placed on the back of a horse or other animal, and secured by a strap around the animal's body.
What is saddle in Hindi?
Saddle in Hindi is काठी (kāṭhī), ज़ीन (zīn), चारजामा (cārjāmā). See Saddle meaning in Hindi.
How do you use saddle in a sentence?
He is saddled with house payments now, so he can't afford to spend more money.
What part of speech is saddle?
Saddle can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce saddle?
Saddle is pronounced /ˈsædl̩/ (UK).
What is the plural of saddle?
The plural of saddle is saddles.

Words near saddle in the dictionary

  1. saddiks
  2. sadding
  3. Saddington
  4. saddish
  5. saddity
  6. saddle
  7. saddle back
  8. saddle back reef
  9. saddle back reefs
  10. saddle bag
  11. saddle bags

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: saddle (page history and authors); Saddle (page history and authors); saddle (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); జీను (Telugu) (page history and authors); ജീനി (Malayalam) (page history and authors); saddle (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); પલાણ (Gujarati) (page history and authors); saddle (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); पलायन (Sanskrit) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-saddle.ogg.

Cite this entry: “saddle.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/saddle. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.