pinfold en · NOUN
Etymology
From Middle English pinfold, punfold, punfald, variants of Middle English pundfold, pundfald, from Old English pundfald (“pinfold”), equivalent to pound (“pen, enclosure”) + fold.
Meanings
-
An open enclosure for animals, especially an area where stray animals were rounded up if their owners failed to properly supervise their use of common grazing land.
A little further along the road is the pinfold where stray animals were penned until claimed by their owners.
1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 331, about Redmire:These drawing near the wood, where close ypent / The wicked sprites in sylvan pinfolds were […]
1600, Edward Fairfax, The Jerusalem Delivered of Tasso, XIII, xx
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| penfold | alternative | lexicographic | |
| pinfolds | Number=Plur | lexicographic |