Horseplayer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who engages in betting on the outcomes of horse races as a form of gambling
2. An individual who takes part in wagering on the results of horse racing events
3. A person who places bets predicting which horses will win or place in racing competitions

Etymology: "Horseplayer" is a plain compound: "horse" joined to "player," with the "player" element carrying its older sense of one who engages in a game or pastime, here wagering rather than sport. Racing, and the betting that grew up around it, gave the word its specific meaning: a person who stakes money on which horses will win or finish in the places. The word is a transparent formation rather than a borrowing or a coinage with a famous backstory, so its meaning follows directly from its parts. What makes it worth a moment is how neatly the older "player" sense fits the gambling context. In card games and dice, a "player" was someone risking money on the outcome, and the same logic transferred to the track, where the racegoer is treating the race as a contest in which to take a stake.

Synonyms: gambler, bettor