What is "saddle"

Saddle \Sad"dle\, n. [OE. sadel, AS. sadol; akin to D. zadel, G. sattel, OHG. satal, satul, Icel. s["o][eth]ull, Dan. & Sw. sadel; cf. Russ. siedlo; all perh. ultimately from the root of E. sit.]

1. A seat for a rider, -- usually made of leather, padded to span comfortably a horse's back, furnished with stirrups for the rider's feet to rest in, and fastened in place with a girth; also, a seat for the rider on a bicycle or tricycle.

2. A padded part of a harness which is worn on a horse's back, being fastened in place with a girth. It serves various purposes, as to keep the breeching in place, carry guides for the reins, etc.

3. A piece of meat containing a part of the backbone of an animal with the ribs on each side; as, a saddle of mutton, of venison, etc.

4. (Naut.) A block of wood, usually fastened to some spar, and shaped to receive the end of another spar.

5. (Mach.) A part, as a flange, which is hollowed out to fit upon a convex surface and serve as a means of attachment or support.

6. (Zo["o]l.) The clitellus of an earthworm.

7. (Arch.) The threshold of a door, when a separate piece from the floor or landing; -- so called because it spans and covers the joint between two floors.

8. (Phys. Geog.) A ridge connected two higher elevations; a low point in the crest line of a ridge; a col.

9. (Mining) A formation of gold-bearing quartz occurring along the crest of an anticlinal fold, esp. in Australia.

   Saddle bar (Arch.), one the small iron bars to which the lead panels of a glazed window are secured.
   --Oxf. Gloss.

   Saddle gall (Far.), a sore or gall upon a horse's back, made by the saddle.

   Saddle girth, a band passing round the body of a horse to hold the saddle in its place.

   saddle horse, a horse suitable or trained for riding with a saddle.

   Saddle joint, in sheet-metal roofing, a joint formed by bending up the edge of a sheet and folding it downward over the turned-up edge of the next sheet.

   Saddle roof, (Arch.), a roof having two gables and one ridge; -- said of such a roof when used in places where a different form is more common; as, a tower surmounted by a saddle roof. Called also saddleback roof.

   Saddle shell (Zo["o]l.), any thin plicated bivalve shell of the genera Placuna and Anomia; -- so called from its shape. Called also saddle oyster.

Saddle \Sad"dle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Saddled; p. pr. & vb. n. Saddling.] [AS. sadelian.]

1. To put a saddle upon; to equip (a beast) for riding. ``saddle my horse.''
   --Shak.

   Abraham rose up early, . . . and saddled his ass.
   --Gen. xxii. 3.

2. Hence: To fix as a charge or burden upon; to load; to encumber; as, to saddle a town with the expense of bridges and highways.

Old English sadol "seat for a rider," from Proto-Germanic *sathulaz (cognates: Old Norse söðull, Old Frisian sadel, Dutch zadel, zaal, German Sattel "saddle"), from PIE *sed- (1) "to sit" (cognates: Latin sedere "to sit," Old Church Slavonic sedlo "saddle;" see sedentary). Figurative phrase in the saddle "in an active position of management" is attested from 1650s. Saddle stitch (n.) was originally in bookbinding (1887).

Old English sadolian "to put a riding saddle on;" see saddle (n.). The meaning "to load with a burden" is first recorded 1690s. Related: Saddled; saddling.

Etymology 1 n. 1 A seat (tack) for a rider placed on the back of a horse or other animal 2 An item of harness (harness saddle) placed on the back of a horse or other animal 3 A seat on a bicycle, motorcycle etc 4 A cut of meat that includes both loins and part of the backbone 5 A low point, in the shape of a saddle, between two hills. 6 (cx mining English) A formation of gold-bearing quartz occurring along the crest of an anticlinal fold, especially in Australi

1. 7 The raised floorboard in a doorway. 8 (context construction English) A small tapered/sloped area structure that helps channel surface water to drains. 9 (context nautical English) A block of wood, usually fastened to one spar and shaped to receive the end of another. 10 (context engineering English) A part, such as a flange, which is hollowed out to fit upon a convex surface and serve as a means of attachment or support. 11 The clitellus of an earthworm. Etymology 2

   v

2. 1 To put a saddle on an animal. 2 To get into a saddle. 3 (context idiomatic English) To burden or encumber. 4 (context idiomatic English) To give a responsibility to someone.

1. v. put a saddle on; "saddle the horses" [ant: unsaddle]

2. load or burden; encumber; "he saddled me with that heavy responsibility"

3. impose a task upon, assign a responsibility to; "He charged her with cleaning up all the files over the weekend" [syn: charge, burden]

1. n. a seat for the rider of a horse

2. a pass or ridge that slopes gently between two peaks (is shaped like a saddle) [syn: saddleback]

3. cut of meat (especially mutton or lamb) consisting of part of the backbone and both loins

4. a piece of leather across the instep of a shoe

5. a seat for the rider of a bicycle [syn: bicycle seat]

6. posterior part of the back of a domestic fowl

A saddle is a seat attached to an animal or machine, or various items resembling them or their profiles, including:

The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures. It is not known precisely when riders first began to use some sort of padding or protection, but a blanket attached by some form of surcingle or girth was probably the first "saddle," followed later by more elaborate padded designs. The solid tree was a later invention, and though early stirrup designs predated the invention of the solid tree, the paired stirrup, which attached to the tree, was the last element of the saddle to reach the basic form that is still used today. Today, modern saddles come in a wide variety of styles, each designed for a specific equestrianism discipline, and require careful fit to both the rider and the horse. Proper saddle care can extend the useful life of a saddle, often for decades.

Saddle is a 1993 surrealist sculpture by Irish artist Dorothy Cross. It is in the collection of the Irish Museum of Modern Art having been acquired in 1994. It is created by the combination of found objects - specifically a metal frame, a horse's saddle and an upturned cow's udder. Virgin's Shroud, another work by Cross from 1993, also features cow's udders and is in the collection of the Tate.