Cavessons

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Straps fitted around a horse's nose and head, often used with a lunge line to train or control the animal
2. Padded or leather nose straps on a horse's bridle that help a trainer guide and steady the animal
3. Headgear with a band across the muzzle, commonly attached to a lead rein when schooling or lungeing horses

Etymology: "Cavessons" is the plural of "cavesson", a noun for a horse's halter or nose-band, often fitted with a ring for a lead rope. The word came into English from French "caveçon", which itself borrowed it from Italian "cavezzone", an augmentative (a larger form) of "cavezza", meaning halter. The Italian base is probably rooted in Latin "caput", "head", so the word's core idea is literally a thing that goes around the head. Its Italian ancestry is not the only possibility. Some scholars have proposed a Germanic source instead, pointing to Old English "cæfl", meaning bit or muzzle, which sounds similar. The Latin link is the more widely accepted account, though, and the Germanic idea remains a suggestion rather than a settled origin.