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Glite Dictionary
🚶 To wander for fun 🐎 A metal spur
gad

gad

9.9
A sharp metal spike on a rider's heel to make a horse move faster
  • noun
  • /ɡæd/
  • Archaic
translation icon : espuela

Examples

  • My daughter has GAD, and she is on Lexapro, which keeps her OCD under control.

    Blog text (17)

  • The rider used a sharp gad to encourage the horse to run faster.

  • The cowboy's boots were fitted with gads to help maintain control over his horse.

  • During the race, the jockey skillfully tapped the horse with a gad to urge it ahead.

Synonyms

spur
vsgad
17 5.3

A small metal point on a rider's heel that urges a horse forward

is the same device but given using an alternative name
goad
vsgad
1 8.3

A pointed stick used to prod animals like oxen

is attached to the rider's heel rather than used as a handheld stick

Surface Forms

gad singular
gads plural

Etymology

Gad as a noun originally meant a 'spike' or 'point' used to urge animals, like a small metal spur. Think of the word goad, which means 'to urge', so a gad is literally a point to push a horse forward.