: either of a pair of small light frames or rings for receiving the foot of a rider that are attached by a strap to a saddle and used to aid in mounting and as a support while riding
2
: a piece resembling a stirrup: such as
a
: one used as a support or clamp in carpentry and machinery
b
: a stirrup-shaped footrest
3
: a rope secured to a yard and attached to a thimble in its lower end for supporting a footrope
Recent Examples on the WebThat’s when a stirrup on the horse’s saddle caught a log.oregonlive, 26 Aug. 2022 That position is taken by the stirrup, a tiny bone in the inner ear that assists in conducting sound vibrations, according to verywellhealth.com. Liam Gravvat, USA TODAY, 17 June 2022 Psychedelic marbled prints in red, black, and white are leveraged on easy silhouettes infused with a sporty sensibility ( like mock-neck slip dresses, stirrup leggings, and technical puffers). Shelby Ying Hyde, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 Mar. 2022 The Attico stirrup leggings for stretchy pairs labeled as maternity wear? Alice Newbold, Vogue, 10 Feb. 2022 In another appearance in Los Angeles in February, Rihanna again upped the ante in a black Jean Paul Gaultier cardigan that laced up over her bump, pairing it with stirrup leggings, a Carhartt jacket, Balenciaga shades, and Jimmy Choo pumps. Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 14 Feb. 2022 Her pale complexion is amplified by an all black ensemble: turtleneck and stirrup pants tucked into zip-up the Row clompers. Chloe Malle, Town & Country, 19 Jan. 2022 In the response to his tweet, one Twitter user noted their own gynecologist’s stirrup warmers that make the footholds more comfortable and ease the tension of an inherently vulnerable doctor’s appointment. Kylie Logan, Fortune, 7 Dec. 2021 The most recent drop includes favorites like catsuits and tights and includes embellished socks, stirrup leggings, and bodycon dresses, too. Rachel Besser, Vogue, 9 Nov. 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English stirop, from Old English stigrāp, from stig- (akin to Old High German stīgan to go up) + rāp rope — more at stair, rope
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of stirrup was before the 12th century
VERB + STIRRUP | STIRRUP + NOUN | PREPOSITIONVERB + STIRRUP➤adjust調節馬鐙▸➤rise in, stand in, stand up in腳踩馬鐙站起身來◇She stood up in her stirrups to see where the others had gone.她腳踩馬鐙站起身來,想看看其他人都到哪裏去了。STIRRUP + NOUN➤leather (especially BrE) 馬鐙皮帶◇She had to lengthen her stirrup leathers.她不得不放長馬鐙皮帶。PREPOSITION➤from a/the stirrup從馬鐙裏◇Trudy pulled her feet from the stirrups.特魯迪從馬鐙裏抽出腳。➤in a/the stirrup, into a/the stirrup在馬鐙裏;到馬鐙裏◇He put his feet in the stirrups.他把腳伸進馬鐙裏。➤out of a/the stirrup出馬鐙◇He got his left foot out of the stirrup.他把左腳抽出馬鐙。