Dictionary

mustang en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈmʌˌstɛ̃ŋ/ (Canada, US)
• [ˈmʌˌstɛ̃ŋ] (Canada, US)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈmʌˌsteɪ̯ŋ/ (Canada, US)
• /ˈmʌˌstæŋ/ without æ-raising
• [ˈmʌˌsteɪ̯ŋ] (Canada, US)

Etymology

Borrowed from Mexican Spanish mestengo, from Old Spanish mesteño (“feral animal”) or mestengo (“feral animal”).

Meanings

1. A small, hardy, naturalized (feral) horse of the North American west.
   • 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. 1846, Thomas Bangs Thorpe, The Mysteries of the Backwoods, Carey and Hart, page 12:
   • Having ridden a distance of two or three miles, Garey slackened his pace, and put the mustang to a slow walk. 1851, Mayne Reid, edited by Charles J. Skeet, The Scalp Hunters; Or, Romantic Adventures in Northern Mexico, volume 3, page 145:
2. (US, slang) A merchant marine who joined the U.S. Navy as a commissioned officer during the American 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. 1939, Fred J. Buenzle, Bluejacket, W. W. Norton & Company, page 179:
   • He is a product of the merchant marine and is one of the officers called "Mustangs" who entered the navy during the Civil War. 1903, James Hoyt (editor), Seen & Heard by Megargee, L.N. Megargee, page 1754
3. (US, qualifier:generalized, slang) A commissioned officer who started military service as an enlisted person.
   • Mustang— Officer who came up through the ranks. None better. 1943, Josef Israels, He's in the Marine Corps Now, R.M. McBride & Company, page 170:
   • […] and the chief engineer is a "mustang" — that is, an officer who has risen from the ranks of enlisted men. September-December 1918, Alfred Emanuel Smith, New Outlook, volume 120, Outlook Publishing Company, page 417:

Forms

Deriveds

mustanger · mustang court

Translations (14)

bg мустанг (horse) · mk му́станг (horse) · sv mustang (horse) · es mustang (horse) · pl mustang (horse) · pt mustang (horse) · pt mustangue (horse) · de Mustang (horse) · es caballo mesteño (horse) · ru муста́нг (horse) · ja ムスタング (horse) · tr yılkı (horse) · cs mustang (horse) · es caballo bronco (horse)

wikipedia: + (military officer) · wikipedia: + (horse)

mustang en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈmʌˌstɛ̃ŋ/ (Canada, US)
• [ˈmʌˌstɛ̃ŋ] (Canada, US)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈmʌˌsteɪ̯ŋ/ (Canada, US)
• /ˈmʌˌstæŋ/ without æ-raising
• [ˈmʌˌsteɪ̯ŋ] (Canada, US)

Etymology

Borrowed from Mexican Spanish mestengo, from Old Spanish mesteño (“feral animal”) or mestengo (“feral animal”).

Meanings

1. (US) To hunt mustangs (wild horses), either for military use or for slaughter as pet food.

Forms