caparison means the often ornamental coverings for an animal, especially a horse or an elephant. It carries an Arena rating of 1730, earned across 57 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, caparison ranks #1,462 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #1,466 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #1,739 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #2,274 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words.
Why “caparison” is a great word
CAPARISON — [Noun] An ornamental covering for a horse or other animal, especially for ceremonial purposes, or rich, elaborate clothing for a person. From Middle French caparasson (Modern French caparaçon), from Old Spanish caparazón, akin to capa (“cape, cloak”). Unlike “trappings,” which broadly denotes the superficial accessories of a role, or “livery,” which implies standardized identification, caparison is the specific, splendid investment in ceremony itself. It is the weight of embroidered velvet draped over a warhorse’s flank, the bejeweled blanket on an elephant in a royal procession, and the stiff brocade of a courtier’s state gown—a magnificent, transient burden laid upon the living to transform brute force or simple presence into heraldic spectacle.
Etymology
From Middle French caparasson (Modern French caparaçon), from Old Spanish caparazón, from Old Occitan capairon.
noun
- The often ornamental coverings for an animal, especially a horse or an elephant.e.g.“And the green of the caparison of the horse, and of his rider, was as green as the leaves of the fir-tree, and the yellow was as yellow as the blossom of the broom.” — 1861, Charlotte Guest, transl., The Mabinogion/The Dream of Rhonabwy, translation of original in Middle Welsh:
- Gay or rich clothing.
verb
- To dress up a horse or elephant with ornamental coverings.e.g.“Come, bustle, bustle; caparison my horse” — 1593, Shakespeare, Richard III, Act 5, Scene 3:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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