Cavesson

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A leather or rope noseband fitted around a horse's muzzle as part of the bridle or halter, used to guide and control the animal
2. A strap or band encircling a horse's nose and upper muzzle, attached to the bridle or halter for directing the animal's movement
3. The noseband portion of a horse's tack that passes over the muzzle to help the rider control the animal's head and direction

Etymology: A cavesson is a noose-like headpiece for a horse, fitted with a metal nose-band that can be tightened to control or train the animal, and its name carries a whiff of the stable. The word came into English from French "caveçon", which had itself been borrowed from Italian "cavezzone", an augmentative (a larger or heavier version) of "cavezza", meaning halter. Behind the Italian lies a debated origin: most scholars link it to Latin "caput", meaning head, so the word would literally describe a big piece of gear for the head, though some have proposed a Germanic source instead, and a related Old English word "cæfl", meaning bit or muzzle, shows a similar idea appearing in the north.

Synonyms: noseband, caveson