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Glite Dictionary
swingletree

swingletree

9.9
A bar that connects a working horse's harness to a cart to spread the pulling force
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : yugo
  • The old wagon still had a sturdy swingletree connecting the horse to the cart.

Examples

  • Each draft horse was fitted with a harness and a swingletree for plowing the fields.

  • After years of use, the wooden swingletree needed to be replaced due to wear.

  • The swingletree helps distribute the weight evenly.

  • Each swingletree is designed for heavy loads.

  • The old wagon still had a sturdy swingletree connecting the horse to the cart.

  • Each draft horse was fitted with a harness and a swingletree for plowing the fields.

  • After years of use, the wooden swingletree needed to be replaced due to wear.

Synonyms

swingle
vsswingletree
  • Archaic
9.9

A wooden bar that joins and balances the harness straps of two animals pulling a cart

is the general term that does not specify wooden material
singletree
vsswingletree
  • Specialized
9.9

A horizontal bar that attaches a working animal to a cart or plow and shares the pull

is about allowing even distribution of force rather than attachment focus
whiffletree
vsswingletree
  • Specialized
9.9

A bar that connects a horse to a cart and spreads the load

is the device that connects traces while ensuring even force distribution
whippletree
vsswingletree
  • Specialized
9.9

A bar that pivots in the middle to spread a horse's pull across a wagon

is the general bar allowing even force distribution without stressing the pivot

Surface Forms

swingletree singular
swingletrees plural

Morphology

swingletree = swing + tree (opaque) = swing + tree + let

Although the surface parts ('swing' + '-let' + 'tree') are visible, the specialized harness meaning and the archaic sense of 'tree' = beam make the connection non-obvious to average learners.

Etymology

Swingletree comes from the parts swing and tree, meaning a 'swinging' bar of 'wood'. It was the small bar that links a horse to a cart and can move to help share and even out the horse's pull, so a swingletree makes the work smoother.