Halfter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A German noun for the strap or rope headgear fitted over an animal's head, mainly a horse, so it can be led or tied
2. The leather or rope head harness placed on a horse or other animal to allow it to be guided and restrained
3. Headgear of straps and a lead rope, used on livestock and horses to control them when leading or tethering

Etymology: "Halfter" is the German word for a halter, the headstall or rope that fits over an animal's head so it can be led or tied. The German word is inherited from the same Germanic root as English "halter," so the two are cognates rather than one borrowed from the other. Old English had a related form, "healfter," which likewise named a strap or rope for controlling livestock, and the word's core meaning has stayed close to that concrete sense for well over a thousand years. The English word's meaning has stretched in one direction: a halter can also be a noose for hanging, the rope being the common thread. The clothing sense, the halter top or halter neck, comes from the way the garment's straps loop around the neck like a horse's headstall. German has kept the word mostly to animal equipment, so a German speaker hearing "Halfter" will picture a horse, not a sleeveless top.