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You are here: Home / Language / What Does the Word “Equestrian” Mean in Latin and How Did the Term For a Horseback Rider Originate?

What Does the Word “Equestrian” Mean in Latin and How Did the Term For a Horseback Rider Originate?

May 23, 2020 by Karen Hill

Equestrian is a word used to describe a competitive horseback rider and entered English in 1656 as meaning a “knight on horseback.”

The horse has evolved over fifty million years to become the majestic animal exhibited at various competitions today.

Equestrian is from the Latin word for horse, which is equus.

The Detroit Tigers baseball team acquired its name in 1901 when the club’s ball players wore yellow-and-black socks.

Sports editor Philip Reid thought the socks were similar to those worn by the Princeton University Tigers football team.

The New Jersey Nets basketball team chose its name because the word rhymed with the names of other professional sports teams in New York, namely the Mets baseball club and the Jets football team.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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