steed
(stiːd)
Forms: 1 stéda, 2–6 stede, 4 Sc. 5 north. sted, 4–6 steede, 4–7 Sc. steid, (4 stiede, 6–7 stead, 7 steade, stied), 5– steed.
[OE. stéda wk. masc., a stud-horse, stallion:—OTeut. type *stōđjon-, f. *stōđō (OE. stód) stud n. Cf. ON. stedda mare.
The G. stute and Sw. sto, mare, seem to be shortened from compounds of OHG. stuot and Sw. sto (MSw. stoþ) = stud n.]
1. † a. In OE., a stud-horse, stallion. Obs. † b. In ME. and early mod.Eng., a high-mettled horse used on state occasions, in war, or in the lists; a great horse, as distinguished from a palfrey. Obs. c. From the 16th c. used only poet. or rhetorically for: A horse, usually one for riding; often with eulogistic adjs. (Also sometimes slightly jocular, as being a rather grandiloquent word.)
| a 900 tr. Bæda's Hist. ii. x. [xiii.] (1890) 138 Ond þone cyning bæd þæt he him wæpen sealde & stodhors..þa..nom his spere on hond & hleop on þæs cyninges stedan [L. emissarium]. c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 210 Ne het Crist him to lædan modiᵹne stedan..ac þone wacan assan he ᵹeceas him to byrðre. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 5 He mihte ridan ȝif he walde on riche stede and palefrai. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 89 He..bed hem bringen a wig one te riden, noðer stede ne palefrei, ne fair mule. c 1205 Lay. 26519 He wende his stede & to him gon ride. Ibid. 31405 Nim an hundred steden. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 3810 An hors þat is worþ many a toun, No-war nys such a stede. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 1115 There was courser wel I-brydelid non Ne stede for to iuste wel to gon. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxv. 118 Foure whyte stedez..drawez þis chariot. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 3792 Here Palfreys tho thei forsoke, And to here stedes thei hem toke. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 473/1 Steede, hors, dextrarius, gradarius, sonipes. 1470–85 Malory Arthur vii. xv. 236 Thenne they broughte hym a rede spere and a rede stede. 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, v. ii. 8 Mounted vpon a hot and fierie Steed. 1623 Cockeram 1, Steed, a lustie horse. 1667 Milton P.L. iv. 858 The Fiend repli'd not..But like a proud Steed rein'd went hautie on, Chaumping his iron curb. Ibid. vi. 17 Chariots and flaming Armes, and fierie Steeds Reflecting blaze on blaze. 1733 Pope Ess. Man iii. 35 The bounding steed you pompously bestride. 1740 Somerville Hobbinol ii. 218 He spur'd his sober Steed, grizled with Age, and venerably dull. 1817 Byron Mazeppa ix, ‘Bring forth the horse!’—the horse was brought; In truth, he was a noble steed. 1836 W. Irving Astoria III. 14 Mr. Stuart and his little band mounted their steeds and took a farewell of their fellow travellers. 1841 Borrow Zincali I. vii. ii. 335 There was one steed which he particularly cherished, the finest horse in Spain. 1852 Tennyson Ode Wellington 55 And a reverent people behold The towering car, the sable steeds. 1894 Baring-Gould Deserts S. France II. 256 He was fanciful about his steed, and always rode choice horses. |
d. transf. of other animals used for riding.
| c 1450 Mirour Saluacioun 4121 Ane asse on palmesondaye was his stede certeynly. 1900 Pollok & Thom Sports Burma iii. 77 Neither steed [sc. elephant] would budge an inch. |
e. Applied to a bicycle.
| 1877 H. H. Griffin Bicycles of the Year 8 The makers relying on the adopted and favourite types whereon to build a good steed. |
2. attrib. and
Comb., as
steed-subduing adj.,
steed-like adj. and
adv.;
† steed-back in
phr. on steed-back, on horseback;
steed-horse † (
a)
Sc., a stud-horse, stallion (
obs.); (
b) ?
U.S. a riding-horse;
steid-meir Sc. = stud-mare;
† steed shroud, the trappings of a horse;
† steed-yoke, a two-horsed car or chariot.
| c 1400–25 Langl. P. Pl. C. vii. 43 (MS.F), [Strengest vp-on] *stede-bac. 1766–80 Hugh Spencer xxv. in Child Ballads III. 280 Now I am on that steede-back that I could not ride. |
| c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. i. 1030 Þe *steid hors gais in pasture gude,..Þe meris ar wiþin þar sicht. 1842 J. F. Watson Ann. Philad. & Pennsylv. (1877) I. 275 He mounted a very fine steed horse. |
| 1818 Milman Samor 238 The proud *steedlike tossing of his crest. 1839 Bailey Festus xxvii. (1848) 324 The steed-like world stands ready. Mount for life. |
| 1582 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 127/2 Unius *steid-meir. |
| a 1300 Cursor M. 25464 Nu ask i noþer gra ne grene, Ne *stede scrud [a 1300–1400 Stede schrud (Gött.); c 1375 purtraied stede (Fairf.)]. |
| 1818 Shelley Homer's Castor & Pollux 6 *Steed⁓subduing Castor. |
| 1582 Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 52 Hector..Harryed in *steedyocks [L. bigis] as of earst. |