mustang
/ˈmʌˌsteɪ̯ŋ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.58 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A small, hardy, naturalized (feral) horse of the North American west.
noun
A merchant marine who joined the U.S. Navy as a commissioned officer during the American Civil War.
American usage; Slang
noun
A commissioned officer who started military service as an enlisted person.
American usage; Slang
verb
To hunt mustangs (wild horses), either for military use or for slaughter as pet food.
American usage
noun
An American sports car, manufactured by Ford Motor Company from 1964 till present, a cultural icon and the longest-produced Ford nameplate.
noun
The P-51 Mustang was a single-seat fighter plane designed by North American Aviation in 1940.
Example Sentences
- "The mustang pony, the invariable companion of the inhabitant of the prairie, whether he is rich or poor, is a little creature, apparently narrow-chested, and small across the loins."
- "Having ridden a distance of two or three miles, Garey slackened his pace, and put the mustang to a slow walk."
- "He is a product of the merchant marine and is one of the officers called "Mustangs" who entered the navy during the Civil War."
- "He was the son of a famous artist, and was what we termed a "mustang" officer, who had come into the navy from the merchant service during the Civil War."
- "[…] and the chief engineer is a "mustang" — that is, an officer who has risen from the ranks of enlisted men."
- "Mustang— Officer who came up through the ranks. None better."
Etymology
Borrowed from Mexican Spanish mestengo, from Old Spanish mesteño (“feral animal”) or mestengo (“feral animal”).
Word Breakdown
- Root: mesteño
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈmʌˌsteɪ̯ŋ/