hurdle en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈhɜːdl̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈhɝd(ə)l/ (General-American)
- (General-American) audio
- hûr'dəl (General-American)
- hûr'dəl (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
] From Middle English hurdel, hirdel, herdel, hyrdel, from Old English hyrdel (“frame of intertwined twigs used as a temporary barrier”), diminutive of *hyrd, from Proto-Germanic *hurdiz, from Pre-Germanic *kr̥h₂tis, from Proto-Indo-European *kreh₂-. Cognate with Dutch horde, German Hürde.
Meanings
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An artificial barrier, variously constructed, over which athletes or horses jump in a race.
He ran in the 100 metres hurdles.
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(figuratively) An obstacle, real or perceived, physical or abstract.
My last stop was an outdoor speech to a huge crowd of Ukrainians whom I urged to stay on the course of freedom and economic reform. Kiev was beautiful in the late spring sunshine, and I hoped its people could keep up the high spirits I had observed in the crowd. They still had many hurdles to clear.
2005, Bill Clinton, My Life, volume II, New York: Vintage Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 588:
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A movable frame of wattled twigs, osiers, or withes and stakes, or sometimes of iron, used for enclosing land, for folding sheep and cattle, for gates, etc.; also, in fortification, used as revetments, and for other purposes.
The practice of folding sheep was general, and the purchase of hurdles was a regular charge in the shepherd's account.
1882, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, volume 4, page 414:
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(UK, historical) A sled or crate on which criminals were drawn to the place of execution.
In treason, the corporal punishment is by drawing on hurdle from the place of the prison to the place of execution, and by hanging and being cut down alive, bowelling, and quartering: and in women by burning.
1550, Francis Bacon, “A Preparation Toward the Union of Laws”, in James Spedding, Robert Leslie Ellis, Douglas Denon Heath, editors, The Works of Francis Bacon, volume VII, London: Longman, Green & Co., page 735:Such a crew! Ah! many a wretch has rid on hurdles who has done less mischief than these utterers of forged Tales, coiners of Scandal, and clippers of Reputation.
1777, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal, II.i:Hurdles, with four, five, six wretches convicted of counterfeiting or mutilating the money of the realm, were dragged month after month up Holborn Hill. On one morning seven men were hanged and a woman burned for clipping
1851, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XXI, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume IV, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:Behind flock'd wrangling up a piteous crew, / Greeted of none, disfeatur'd and forlorn— / Cowards, who were in sloughs interr'd alive: / And round them still the wattled hurdles hung / Wherewith they stamp'd them down, and trod them deep, / To hide their shameful memory from men.
1855, Matthew Arnold, Balder Dead, Part II, in The Poems of Matthew Arnold, 1840-1867, Oxford University Press, 1909, pp. 250-51, https://archive.org/details/cu31924013206499
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A piece that is jumped over by a hopper piece.
Pieces that can move only by hopping over other pieces are termed Hoppers. It should be noted that hoppers capture in the usual way by eviction, they do not capture the hurdles over which they hop. The most popular hoppers are: The Equihopper (G. Leathem FCR 1938) which hops to the same distance beyond the hurdle as it is from it.
2010 August 21, G. P. Jelliss, “Simple Chess Variants”, in Mayhematics, page 10:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| hurdles | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
hurdleless · hurdlework · hurdlesome · fall at the final hurdle · fall at the last hurdle · hurdlemaking · hurdlemaker · hurdler
Descendants
Translations (145)
lv barjera (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · sv häck (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · uk перешко́да (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · cy clwyd (movable frame of wattled twigs) · uk прити́чина (obstacle) · el εμπόδιο (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · sh prȅpreka (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · ru барье́р (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · fr obstacle (obstacle) · sh пре̏прека (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · nl hindernis (obstacle) · be перашко́да (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · oc obstacle (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · it ostacolo (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · it barriera (obstacle) · da forhindring (obstacle) · be перагаро́да (obstacle) · fr haie (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · pl przeszkoda (obstacle) · fi este (steeplechase) (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · ca cleda (movable frame of wattled twigs) · sk prekážka (obstacle) · ru прегра́да (obstacle) · cmn 跨欄 /跨栏 (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · fi este (obstacle) · fi aita (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · fa مانع (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · km ទំនាល់ (obstacle) · hu karám (movable frame of wattled twigs) · vi cừu (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · hu gát (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · bg препя́тствие (obstacle) · it recinto (movable frame of wattled twigs) · uk прити́чина (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · br kloued (movable frame of wattled twigs) · ro obstacol (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · ar حَاجِز (movable frame of wattled twigs) · ota چیت (movable frame of wattled twigs) · sl prepreka (obstacle) · de Flechtzaun (movable frame of wattled twigs) · ga cliath (movable frame of wattled twigs) · sh prȅpreka (obstacle) · grc ὑπέραλμα (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · fr claie (movable frame of wattled twigs) · de Hürde (movable frame of wattled twigs) · nb hekk (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · lo ອຸປະສັກ (obstacle) · mk пречка (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · oc barradissa (obstacle) · nl drempel (obstacle) · ru препя́тствие (obstacle) · is grind (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · bg прегра́да (obstacle) · ca obstacle (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · he מִכְשׁוֹל (obstacle) · tr engel (obstacle) · et takistus (obstacle) · cmn 障礙 /障碍 (obstacle) · sl prepreka (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · pt obstáculo (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · ko 장애 (obstacle) · fa مانع (obstacle) · sv hinder (obstacle) · eo obstaklo (obstacle) · lv šķērslis (obstacle) · nl horde (obstacle) · uk перепо́на (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · lt kliūtis (obstacle) · be перапо́на (obstacle) · ar عَقَبَة (obstacle) · ja ハードル (obstacle) · bg барие́ра (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · ko 허들 (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · oc obstacle (obstacle) · cs překážka (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · ar حَاجِز (obstacle) · uk перепо́на (obstacle) · be бар'е́р (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · ko 장해 (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · bg плет (movable frame of wattled twigs) · fi aitaus (movable frame of wattled twigs) · nb hinder (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · sh prȅpona (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · uk перешко́да (obstacle) · mk пречка (obstacle) · de Barriere (obstacle) · es valla (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · eo hurdo (movable frame of wattled twigs) · uk бар'є́р (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · lt barjeras (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · pl płotek (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · fr barrière (obstacle) · be перашко́да (obstacle) · hu nehézség (obstacle) · hu akadály (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · de Hindernis (obstacle) · it ostacolo (obstacle) · sh пре̏пона (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · nl horde (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · cs překážka (obstacle) · sh пре̏прека (obstacle) · ja ハードル (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · gsw Färrich (movable frame of wattled twigs) · ru препя́тствие (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · de Hürde (obstacle) · ga cliath (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · ja 障害物 (obstacle) · ko 허들 (obstacle) · he משוכה (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · ru затрудне́ние (obstacle) · sk prekážka (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · ru препо́на (obstacle) · sh prȅpona (obstacle) · ru плете́нь (movable frame of wattled twigs) · tr engel (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · sv hinder (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · el φράγμα (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · sl ovira (obstacle) · ar حَاجِز (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · ca tanca (obstacle) · nn hekk (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · de Hürde (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · hu akadály (obstacle) · ja 障害 (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · uk пліт (movable frame of wattled twigs) · oc cleda (movable frame of wattled twigs) · be пляце́нь (movable frame of wattled twigs) · bg препя́тствие (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · pt barreira (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · th อุปสรรค (obstacle) · mi pāhikohiko (movable frame of wattled twigs) · et tõke (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · es valla (obstacle) · ja 柵 (movable frame of wattled twigs) · oc barrièra (obstacle) · ko 장애물 (obstacle) · pl płot (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · mk препрека (obstacle) · da hæk (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · mk препрека (artificial barrier over which people or horses jump in a race) · ga constaic (obstacle) · is hindrun (obstacle) · pdt Hindaniss (obstacle) · uk перегоро́да (obstacle) · sh пре̏пона (obstacle)