colt en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /kɔlt/ (British, Southern, Standard) doll–dole merger
- (California) audio
- [kɔʊlt] (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Texas) audio
- /kəwlt/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- /koʊlt/ (US)
- /kolt/ (Scotland)
- /koult/ (Wales) without the toe–tow merger
- [kɔwlt] (British, Southern, Standard)
- /kɒlt/ (Received-Pronunciation) doll–dole merger
- /kəʊlt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From Middle English colt, from Old English colt, from Proto-Germanic *kultaz (“plump; stump; thick shape, bulb”), from Proto-Indo-European *gelt- (“something round, pregnant belly, child in the womb”), from *gel- (“to ball up, amass”). Cognate with Faroese koltur (“colt, foal”) Norwegian kult (“treestump”), Swedish kult (“young boar, piglet, boy, lad”) / Swedish kulting (“piglet”). Related to child.
Meanings
-
A young male horse.
The petty vices of boys are like the innocent kicks of colts, as yet imperfectly broken.
1857, Herman Melville, chapter XXII, in The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade:
- A young crane (bird).
-
(figuratively) A youthful or inexperienced person; a novice.
Ay, that's a colt indeed, for he doth nothing but / talk of his horse, and he makes it a great appropriation to / his own good parts that he can shoe him himself.
c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], line 38:
-
(figuratively, slang) A youthful or inexperienced person; a novice. ▸ A professional cricketer during his first season.
The bowling is more promising in the colts than in the eleven.
1882, The Downside Review, volume 1, page 287:
- (figuratively, obsolete, slang) A youthful or inexperienced person; a novice. ▸ A person who sits as a juryman for the first time.
- (historical) A short piece of rope once used by petty officers as an instrument of punishment.
- (obsolete, slang) A weapon formed by slinging a small shot to the end of a somewhat stiff piece of rope.
- A young camel or donkey.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| colts | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
coltskin · coltlike · uncolt · coltsfoot · hog colt · catch colt · old-field colt · uncolted · colthood · colt's tooth · woods colt · summer colt · coltish · colt evil
Translations (83)
es potranco (young male horse) · de männliches Fohlen (young male horse) · fi orivarsa (young male horse) · bg новак (novice) · zza estor (diq) (young male horse) · ltg kumeļs (young male horse) · ro începător (novice) · rup mãndzu (young male horse) · mn даага (young male horse) · gmy 𐀡𐀫 (young male horse) · gd searrach (young male horse) · pl źrebak (young male horse) · mk ждребе (young male horse) · cmn 駒 /驹 (young male horse) · sh ждријебе (young male horse) · tr tay (young male horse) · sh ždrijebe (young male horse) · sv fåle (young male horse) · mt felu (young male horse) · cmn 駒子 /驹子 (young male horse) · pt noviço (novice) · es potro (young male horse) · grc πῶλος (young male horse) · de Hengstfohlen (young male horse) · la equuleus (young male horse) · pl ogierek (young male horse) · oc polin (young male horse) · gl poldro (young male horse) · ast potru (young male horse) · fr jeunot (novice) · sv unghäst (young male horse) · ru жере́бчик (young male horse) · ca poltre (young male horse) · bg жребче́ (young male horse) · cmn 小雄馬 /小雄马 (young male horse) · fr poulain (young male horse) · dsb žrěbc (young male horse) · gd lothag (young male horse) · nv łéʼéyázhí (young male horse) · pt potro (young male horse) · nl hengstveulen (young male horse) · twf kòwʼȕʼúna (young male horse) · vo hijevodül (young male horse) · gd bromach (young male horse) · hy քուռակ (young male horse) · ro mânz (young male horse) · hy մտրուկ (young male horse) · wo mol mi (young male horse) · ruq mǫndz (young male horse) · fo koltur (young male horse) · cs hříbě (young male horse) · unm nehënaonkètët (young male horse) · sq mëz (young male horse) · sh ждребе (young male horse) · uk лоша́ (young male horse) · pdt Falm (young male horse) · gd biorach(-eich) (young male horse) · ms kuda jantan muda (young male horse) · fi varsa (young male horse) · lv kumeļš (young male horse) · gd capall (young male horse) · ro novice (novice) · eo ĉevalido (young male horse) · it puledro (young male horse) · frr Plāg (young male horse) · de Hengstfüllen (young male horse) · pa ਵਛੇਰਾ (young male horse) · mt mohor (young male horse) · cy ebol (young male horse) · pt novato (novice) · io kavalyunulo (young male horse) · gd loth (young male horse) · ga bromach (young male horse) · hu méncsikó (young male horse) · ru жеребёнок (young male horse) · sip རྟི་གི (young male horse) · sh ždrebe (young male horse) · pt poldro (young male horse) · de männliches Füllen (young male horse) · ja 雄の子馬 (young male horse) · sl žrebe (young male horse) · lt kumeliukas (young male horse) · ru линёк (rope)