bridle means the headgear with which a horse is directed and which carries a bit and reins. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 75 out of 100.
bridle is pronounced /ˈbɹaɪdəl/.
Why “bridle” is a great word
BRIDLE — [Noun, Verb] A headgear used to direct and restrain a horse; to bridle is to check or control, often with a suggestion of resentful effort. From Middle English bridel, from Old English brīdel ("rein, curb"), from Proto-West Germanic *brigdil, from Proto-Germanic *brigdilaz ("strap, rein"), related to the verb bregdan ("to move quickly, pull, braid"). Unlike "restrain," a general holding back, or "curb," a decisive external limit, to bridle implies a harness of internal force, a stiff-necked recoil against a check. It is the cold iron of the bit between the teeth, the sharp intake of breath when an insult is swallowed unspoken, and the visible, haughty lift of a chin in submission—the moment raw power concedes, however bitterly, to the bit of circumstance.
Etymology
From Middle English bridel, from Old English brīdel, from Proto-West Germanic *brigdil, from Proto-Germanic *brigdilaz (“strap, rein”), equivalent to braid + -le.
noun
- The headgear with which a horse is directed and which carries a bit and reins.“[…] the horseman, who is the user of bridles and knows their use”
- A restraint; a curb; a check.“Let wisdom put a bridle on them before they are grown head-strong and unruly”
- A length of line or cable attached to two parts of something to spread the force of a pull, as the rigging on a kite for attaching line.
- A mooring hawser.
- A piece in the interior of a gunlock which holds in place the tumbler, sear, etc.
- A gesture expressing pride or vanity.
verb
- To put a bridle on.“He bridled her mouth with a silkweed twist.”
- To check, restrain, or control with, or as if with, a bridle; as in bridle your tongue.“Savoy and Nice, the keys of Italy, and the citadel in her hands to bridle Switzerland, are in that consolidation.”
- To show hostility or resentment.“Immigrant-rights and religious organizations bridled at the plan to favor highly skilled workers over relatives. (Houston Chronicle, 6/8/2007)”
- To hold up one's head proudly or affectedly.