"postilion" meaning in English

See postilion in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /pɒˈstɪlɪən/ [UK], /pəˈstɪljən/ [US], /poʊˈstɪljən/ [US] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-postilion.wav Forms: postilions [plural]
Etymology: From Middle French postillon, and its likely source, Italian postiglione (“guide for driver of post-coach”), from posta (“post”). Etymology templates: {{uder|en|frm|postillon}} Middle French postillon, {{uder|en|it|postiglione||guide for driver of post-coach}} Italian postiglione (“guide for driver of post-coach”) Head templates: {{en-noun}} postilion (plural postilions)
  1. A rider mounted on the near (left) leading horse who guides the team pulling a carriage. Translations (rider mounted on leading horse): postilló [masculine] (Catalan), postiljono (Esperanto), postillon [masculine] (French), Postillion [masculine] (German), postakocsis (Hungarian), postiglione [masculine] (Italian), foryś [masculine] (Polish), форейтор (forejtor) (Russian), postillón [masculine] (Spanish), spannryttare [common-gender] (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-postilion-en-noun-oDwcGssi Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English undefined derivations, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 2 entries, Pages with entries, Terms with Catalan translations, Terms with Esperanto translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Hungarian translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Swedish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 68 32 Disambiguation of English undefined derivations: 79 21 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 76 24 Disambiguation of Pages with 2 entries: 80 20 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 80 20 Disambiguation of Terms with Catalan translations: 79 21 Disambiguation of Terms with Esperanto translations: 86 14 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 81 19 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 85 15 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 69 31 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 86 14 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 77 23 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 86 14 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 87 13 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 80 20 Disambiguation of 'rider mounted on leading horse': 94 6
  2. (obsolete) A post-boy, a messenger boy, a swift letter carrier. Tags: obsolete
    Sense id: en-postilion-en-noun-eck4GePb
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: postillion Derived forms: postilion sentence

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

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      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "postilion sentence"
    }
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        "2": "it",
        "3": "postiglione",
        "4": "",
        "5": "guide for driver of post-coach"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian postiglione (“guide for driver of post-coach”)",
      "name": "uder"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle French postillon, and its likely source, Italian postiglione (“guide for driver of post-coach”), from posta (“post”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "postilions",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
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      "args": {},
      "expansion": "postilion (plural postilions)",
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  "pos": "noun",
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          "_dis": "69 31",
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          "_dis": "86 14",
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        {
          "ref": "1768, Mr. Yorick [pseudonym; Laurence Sterne], “Montreuil”, in A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] T. Becket and P. A. De Hondt, […], →OCLC:",
          "text": "C’est un garcon de bonne fortune, said the landlord, pointing through the window to half a dozen wenches who had got round about La Fleur, and were most kindly taking their leave of him, as the postilion was leading out the horses.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1839, [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow], “Mill-wheels and Other Wheels”, in Hyperion, a Romance. […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: Samuel Colman […], →OCLC, 2nd book, page 164:",
          "text": "The postilion seized one of his fat horses by the tail, and swung himself up to his seat again.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1842, [Katherine] Thomson, chapter X, in Widows and Widowers. A Romance of Real Life., volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 227:",
          "text": "And now the carriage had fairly left the village; yet the postilions slackened their speed, and drew up gradually before a line of almshouses, […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 22, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:",
          "text": "The rain drove into the bride and bridegroom's faces as they passed to the chariot. The postilions' favours draggled on their dripping jackets.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1911, Hilaire Belloc, chapter 6, in The Girondin:",
          "text": "To play the postilion is not an easy thing. It is a trade by itself—half a gunner's and half a groom's. It has to do with horses—that is bad enough ; but also it involves some knowledge of the road.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1936, Norman Lindsay, The Flyaway Highway, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 16:",
          "text": "A very spirited affair it looked with its red body and yellow wheels, bouncing about on its high C springs [...] with its four horses going full stretch and two postilions in knee-cords and top-boots laying into the horses in a lather of dust and excitement.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A rider mounted on the near (left) leading horse who guides the team pulling a carriage."
      ],
      "id": "en-postilion-en-noun-oDwcGssi",
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        [
          "rider",
          "rider"
        ],
        [
          "near",
          "near"
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        [
          "horse",
          "horse"
        ],
        [
          "guide",
          "guide"
        ],
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          "carriage",
          "carriage"
        ]
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          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "postilló"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
          "word": "postiljono"
        },
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          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "postillon"
        },
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          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Postillion"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
          "word": "postakocsis"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "postiglione"
        },
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          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "foryś"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "forejtor",
          "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
          "word": "форейтор"
        },
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          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "postillón"
        },
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          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
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        }
      ]
    },
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        [
          "swift",
          "swift"
        ],
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          "letter carrier"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(obsolete) A post-boy, a messenger boy, a swift letter carrier."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ]
    }
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      "_dis1": "0 0",
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          "type": "quote"
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          "ref": "1839, [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow], “Mill-wheels and Other Wheels”, in Hyperion, a Romance. […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: Samuel Colman […], →OCLC, 2nd book, page 164:",
          "text": "The postilion seized one of his fat horses by the tail, and swung himself up to his seat again.",
          "type": "quote"
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        {
          "ref": "1842, [Katherine] Thomson, chapter X, in Widows and Widowers. A Romance of Real Life., volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 227:",
          "text": "And now the carriage had fairly left the village; yet the postilions slackened their speed, and drew up gradually before a line of almshouses, […]",
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          "ref": "1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 22, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:",
          "text": "The rain drove into the bride and bridegroom's faces as they passed to the chariot. The postilions' favours draggled on their dripping jackets.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1911, Hilaire Belloc, chapter 6, in The Girondin:",
          "text": "To play the postilion is not an easy thing. It is a trade by itself—half a gunner's and half a groom's. It has to do with horses—that is bad enough ; but also it involves some knowledge of the road.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1936, Norman Lindsay, The Flyaway Highway, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 16:",
          "text": "A very spirited affair it looked with its red body and yellow wheels, bouncing about on its high C springs [...] with its four horses going full stretch and two postilions in knee-cords and top-boots laying into the horses in a lather of dust and excitement.",
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        "A rider mounted on the near (left) leading horse who guides the team pulling a carriage."
      ],
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        "(obsolete) A post-boy, a messenger boy, a swift letter carrier."
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    {
      "word": "postillion"
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    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "postilló"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
      "word": "postiljono"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "postillon"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Postillion"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
      "word": "postakocsis"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "postiglione"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "foryś"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "forejtor",
      "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
      "word": "форейтор"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "postillón"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "rider mounted on leading horse",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "spannryttare"
    }
  ],
  "word": "postilion"
}

Download raw JSONL data for postilion meaning in English (5.9kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-02-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-20 using wiktextract (05fdf6b and 9dbd323). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.