Swingletrees

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Horizontal wooden bars on a plough or carriage to which the harness traces of draft animals are fastened so the load is shared evenly
2. The pivoting crossbars on a horse-drawn cart or wagon that the animal's traces hook onto to spread the pulling force between them
3. Bars on a carriage or plough, pivoted at the centre, to which the traces of a team are connected so that the pull is balanced

Etymology: "Swingletrees" is the plural of "swingletree," the crossbar on a horse harness to which the traces (the straps or chains running from the collar) are fastened, pivoting so that the load is shared evenly between the animals. The word combines "swingle," a verb-derived term for something that swings or pivots, with "tree," here meaning a wooden beam or bar, a sense that survives in other compounds such as "whippletree," a close relative used in parts of the English-speaking world. The first element, "swingle," comes from the same root as "swing," and the second is the ordinary English "tree," which in older usage could mean any substantial piece of timber shaped for a purpose, not only a living plant. Put together, the name describes the object plainly: a swinging beam on a tree-like wooden bar.

Synonyms: singletree, whiffletree, whippletree