Troter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual or animal that moves at a moderate pace by trotting; a contestant or participant in a trotting race, especially with horses; a mechanical or structural component that facilitates or guides motion through a trotting action
2. A person or creature progressing using a steady, rhythmic gait known as trotting; a competitive figure in races where trotting is emphasized, such as harness racing; a part of machinery that enables movement through coordinated trotting steps
3. One who travels or runs with a trotting motion, often describing horses in certain races; an athlete or horse in a contest requiring trotting speed; a device or mechanism that operates by means of a trotting rhythm to support motion

Etymology: A trotter is, at bottom, simply something that trots. The noun comes from the verb "trot," borrowed from Old French "troter," which is probably of Germanic origin. English formed "trotter" from that verb with the agent ending "-er," so the name describes the animal by its gait. In harness racing, a trotter must keep a trot, a two-beat gait in which diagonal legs move together, rather than break into a gallop. A horse that breaks stride is set back or disqualified, which is why the name fits the sport so exactly. The same word also names a pig's foot, eaten as food. That sense is a separate extension of the noun, and the connection to the animal's gait is not certain.

Synonyms: trotter, runner, walker, pacer, jogger