Saddlebacks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of pig recognized for its distinctive black and white markings that resemble a saddle
2. Referring to a breed of swine known for a prominent body shape and two-tone coloration often resembling a saddle on its back
3. Describing a kind of domesticated pig characterized by its unique appearance and traits that make it suitable for farming and agricultural use

Etymology: Saddleback is a compound of "saddle" and "back", describing an animal or thing with a dip or patch that looks like a saddle on its back. The word is applied to a breed of pig marked with a broad band of white across its black body, which gives the appearance of a saddle. The plural "saddlebacks" simply refers to more than one such animal. The term has an unrelated and far more recent sense as well. In 2008, the name of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, became the source of a new meaning for "saddleback" when a columnist, Dan Savage, ran a contest to coin a sexual term in response to the church's support for California's Proposition 8, which sought to ban same-sex marriage.

Synonyms: backpack, satchel