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saddle

n. · v.
US //ˈsædəɫ// UK //sˈædəl// sad·dle
  1. 1 seat for a horse (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a leather seat that you put on a horse's back for a rider.

    a seat for a rider, typically made of leather, secured to the back of an animal by a girth.

    Example

    He tightened the strap to make sure the saddle wouldn't slip while he was riding.

    Example

    The equestrian spent several minutes adjusting the saddle to ensure the horse's comfort before beginning the dressage routine.
  2. 2 bicycle seat (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    the small seat on a bicycle or motorcycle.

    the seat on a bicycle, motorcycle, or similar vehicle.

    Example

    I had to lower the bicycle saddle because my legs couldn't reach the pedals.

    Example

    Long-distance cyclists often invest in ergonomic saddles to prevent discomfort during multi-day tours.
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  1. 3 mountain ridge (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Science

    a low point on a ridge between two mountain peaks.

    a low point or pass along a ridge between two higher peaks, resembling the shape of a horse's saddle.

    Example

    The hikers rested in the saddle between the two mountains before the final climb.

    Example

    The geological survey identified a broad saddle connecting the two limestone massifs, providing a natural route for the proposed trail.
  2. 4 to equip an animal (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to put a saddle on a horse or other animal.

    to place and secure a saddle on an animal in preparation for riding. Often used with the particle 'up'.

    Example

    The guide told us to saddle our horses and get ready to leave the camp.

    Example

    The stable hands were instructed to saddle the mares early in the morning to avoid the midday heat.

    Usage

    Often used as the phrasal verb 'saddle up'.
    • unsaddle
  3. 5 to burden someone (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to give someone a difficult job or a big responsibility that they do not want.

    to burden or encumber someone with a task, debt, or responsibility. Transitive; almost always used in the passive voice or with 'with'.

    Example

    The company was saddled with a lot of debt after the expensive project failed.

    Example

    It seems unfair to saddle a junior employee with the entire responsibility for the department's budget deficit.

    Usage

    Usually takes the preposition 'with'.
Etymology 1

From Middle English sadel, from Old English sadol, from Proto-West Germanic sadul, from Proto-Germanic sadulaz (“saddle”). Further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European sod-dʰlo-, from sed- (“to sit”) + -dʰlom (a variant of -trom (suffix forming nouns denoting instruments or tools)), though the Oxford English Dictionary says this “presents formal difficulties”. Cognates * Danish sadel * Dutch zadel * German Sattel * Icelandic söðull * Low German Sadel * Russian седло́ (sedló) * Saterland Frisian Soadel * Scots sadil * Swedish sadel * West Frisian seal

Etymology 2

From Middle English sadelen (“to put a saddle on (an animal), to saddle”) [and other forms], from Old English sadolian, sadelian, sadilian (“to saddle”), from Proto-Germanic sadulōną (“to saddle”), from sadulaz (“a saddle”, noun) (see further at etymology 1) + *-ōną (suffix forming denominative verbs from nouns). Cognates * Middle Dutch sādelen (modern Dutch zadelen) * Middle Low German sādelen * Old Danish sathlæ (modern Danish sadle) * Old High German satalōn, satulōn (Middle High German satelen, sateln, German satteln) * Old Norse sǫðla * Old Swedish saþla (modern Swedish sadla)

Word family
Idioms5 entries

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