baldric
/ˈbɔldɹɪk/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.50 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "But now how many men are there proude of that that is not theyrs at al? Is there no man proude of keping another mannes gate? […] [W]hat a brag-kyng maketh a beareward wͭ [with] his ſyluer buttened bawdrike, for pride of another mannes bere?"
- "Athvvart his breſt a bauldrick braue he vvare, / That ſhind, like tvvinkling ſtars, vvith ſtones moſt pretious rare."
- "[B]ut that I vvill haue a rechate vvinded in my forehead, or hang my bugle in an inuiſible baldricke, all vvomen ſhall pardon mee: becauſe I vvill not doe them the vvrong to miſtruſt any, I vvill doe my ſelfe the right to truſt none: […]"
- "A radiant Baldric, o'er his Shoulder ty'd, / Suſtains the Svvord that glitters at his ſide."
- "And from his blazon'd baldric slung, / A mighty silver bugle hung, / And, as he rode, his armour rung, / Beside remote Shalott."
- "Fore George, I would not ask thee to buckle my baldrick when the war-steeds were snorting, but I would trust Isabel with the links of my hauberk."
Etymology
From Middle English baudrik, bauderik, baudry (“belt worn over the shoulder or around the waist for carrying a sword, etc., baldric; (by extension) type of leather strap”), from Old French baldré, baldrei, baudré (“crossbelt, sword-belt”) (modern French baudrier); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Frankish *balterād, from earlier *baltiraidī (“belt gear, belt equipment”) (compare Old Occitan baldrei, baudrat), from Frankish *balti (“belt”), from Latin balteus (possibly borrowed from Etruscan 𐌁𐌀𐌋𐌕𐌄𐌀 (baltea, “belt”)) + Frankish *(ga)raidī (“equipment”). However, the Oxford English Dictionary states that a derivation from balteus does not satisfactorily account for the bald- spelling in the various languages. Middle High German balderich, belderich, derived from the Old French word, may have influenced the Middle English form. Sense 2.3 (“zodiac”) is from its resemblance to a belt ornamented with jewels (sense 1).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈbɔldɹɪk/
- British English: /ˈbɔːldɹɪk/