travois en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈtɹæˌvɔɪ/
- /tɹəˈvɔɪ/
- (Southern-England) audio
- /trəvˈwɑː/
Etymology
PIE word *tréyes The noun is derived from Michif travawy (IPA⁽ᵏᵉʸ⁾: /tɹæˈvɔɪ/), from Canadian French travail (“travois”), from French travail, from Middle French travail, from Old French travail (“frame for restraining horses and cattle for medical treatment or shoeing”), from Late Latin tripālium (“torture device consisting of three stakes”), from Latin tripālis (“having, or propped up by, three pales or stakes”) (from tri- (prefix meaning ‘three’) + pālus (“pale, stake”)) + -ium (suffix forming nouns). Doublet of travel and travail. The spelling travois and pronunciations /ˈtɹævwɑ(ː)/, /tɹævˈwɑ/ are probably influenced by French -ois (suffix forming adjectives relating to particular countries, regions, or cities, their associated inhabitant names, and the local languages or dialects). The verb is derived from the noun.
Meanings
-
(US, historical) A frame, often consisting of two poles tied together at one end to form a V-shaped structure with the vertex attached to a dog, horse, etc., or held by a person and the other ends touching the ground, which was used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land.
Riding out for wood he watched his shadow and the shadow of the horse and travois cross those palings tree by tree. Boyd rode in the travois holding the axe as if he'd keep guard over the wood they'd gathered […]
1994, Cormac McCarthy, chapter I, in The Crossing (The Border Trilogy; 2), New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, →ISBN, page 5:Even the dogs worked then, pulling small burdens on travois of sticks.
1950, Dorothy M. Johnson, A Man Called Horse; in Indian Country, London: Corgi, 1961, page 174:On the plains they will have horses dragging travoises, dogs with travoises, women and children loaded with impedimenta, […]
1892, Julian Ralph, “‘Talking Musquash’: Concluding the Sketch of the History and Work of the Hudson Bay Company”, in On Canada’s Frontier […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, pages 236–237:
- (broadly) A similar piece of equipment used to transport something by dragging; especially a stretcher dragged by a horse, mule, etc., used to transport an ill or injured person.
- (Canada, US, broadly, dated) A sled dragged by a horse or ox to transport logs, with one end of each log on the sled and the other end touching the ground.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| travail | alternative | lexicographic | |
| travoy | alternative | lexicographic | |
| travoises | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| travois | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| travoise | alternative | lexicographic |
Hypernyms
litter · horse litter · ambulance · mule litter
Translations (35)
lkt hupáwaheyuŋpi (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · uma sapsanáwas (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · lkt hupá (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · fi tukkikelkka (sled dragged by a horse or ox to transport logs) · ru волочу́га (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · nl travois (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · cr yîkihtawitâpânâsk (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · it treggia (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · ru воло́ка (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · es travois (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · bla manistsí’sstaan (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · ru волоку́ша (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · bg травуа́ (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · ca travois (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · fi purilaat (similar piece of equipment used to transport something by dragging; especially a stretcher dragged by a horse, mule, etc., used to transport an ill or injured person) · fi purilaat (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · mez saqnawāhkosew (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · bla manistsí (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · ru травуа́ (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · uk волоку́ша (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · lv trevojs (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · et aislohisti (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · ru волочня́ (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · oj niswaakodaabaan (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · mk траво́а (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · cro aláakko (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · cr akotâpân (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · fy travois (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · chy amėstó'eeseo'o (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · cmn 印第安雪橇 (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · fr travois (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · de Zuggeschir (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · paw raarukaʼiituʼ (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · de Stangenschleife (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land) · da travois (frame used by indigenous peoples (notably the Plains Aboriginals of North America) to drag loads over land)