Saddlemaking

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The craft or trade of constructing saddles and related leather equipment for horses or other animals
2. The skilled work of designing and manufacturing saddles, typically involving leather working and other specialized techniques
3. The occupation or practice of making saddles by hand or through established leather-working methods

Etymology: Saddlemaking is a plain compound: "saddle" plus "making," the gerund of "make." The more interesting part is the first half. "Saddle" comes from Old English "sadol," which goes back to a Germanic root meaning something like "to sit," the same family that gives English "sit" and "seat." A saddle, in other words, is named for the act of sitting on it. The word "saddler," meaning a person who makes or sells saddles, is the older agent noun, and "saddlemaking" follows the same pattern, describing the trade itself. Both formations are straightforward English construction, built from native parts rather than borrowed from another language, and the compound appears in the record as a descriptive term for the craft.

Synonyms: saddlery, saddle-making