postilion means A rider mounted on the near (left) leading horse who guides the team pulling a carriage. It carries an Arena rating of 1622, earned across 10 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, postilion ranks #267 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #1,774 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #2,350 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #2,889 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words.
postilion is pronounced /pɒˈstɪlɪən/.
Why “postilion” is a great word
A mounted rider who guides a carriage team while seated on the near (left) leading horse. From Middle French postillon, from Italian postiglione ('guide for driver of a post-coach'), from posta ('post, mail'). Unlike a 'coachman,' who sits statically aloft on the vehicle’s box holding the reins, or a 'courier,' who is simply a bearer of dispatches, the postilion is an integral, mobile part of the propulsion he directs. He is the jolt of the saddle against the cobbles, the spray of mud from the wheel he parallels, and the living pivot around which the team turns—a figure of intimate control and controlled momentum, now rendered obsolete by the very pace he helped to maintain, his skill condensed into the mute turning of a steering wheel.
Etymology
From Middle French postillon, and its likely source, Italian postiglione (“guide for driver of post-coach”), from posta (“post”).
noun
- A rider mounted on the near (left) leading horse who guides the team pulling a carriage.
- A post-boy, a messenger boy, a swift letter carrier.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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