bridle

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun A harness, consisting of a headstall, bit, and reins, fitted about a horse's head and used to restrain or guide the animal.
• noun A curb or check.
• noun Nautical A span of chain, wire, or rope that can be secured at both ends to an object and slung from its center point.
• intransitive verb To put a bridle on.
• intransitive verb To control or restrain: synonym: restrain.
• intransitive verb To lift the head and draw in the chin in anger or resentment.
• intransitive verb To be angry or resentful; take offense.

from The Century Dictionary.

• To put a bridle on: as, to brīdle a horse.
• To restrain, guide, or govern; check, curb, or control: as, to bridle the passions.
• Synonyms To repress, master, subdue.
• To hold the head up, in the manner of a spirited horse under a strong rein, especially as an expression of pride, scorn, or resentment; assume a lofty manner so as to assert one's dignity or express indignation; toss the head; strut: generally with up.
• To connect; join as by a bridle: as draft-rollers (in cotton-manufacturing) that are yoked together.
• noun That portion of the gear or harness of a horse (or other animal similarly used) which is fitted to its head, and by which it is governed and restrained, consisting usually of a head-stall, a bit, and reins, with other appendages, according to its particular form and uses. See cut under harness.
• noun An old instrument of punishment and restraint for scolds: a simpler form of the branks.
• noun Figuratively, a restraint; a curb; a check.
• noun The piece in the interior of a gun-lock which covers and holds in place the tumbler and sear, being itself held by the screws on which they turn. See cut under gun-lock.
• noun The piece on the end of a plow-beam to which the draftshackle is attached; the clevis. Also called muzzle or plow-head.
• noun In machinery, a link, flange, or other attachment for limiting the movement of any part of a machine.
• noun Nautical, a chain or rope span both ends of which are made fast, the strain or power being applied to the bight.
• noun In pathology, a small band attaching two parts to each other, as two serous surfaces after inflammation, or the sides of the urethra after urethritis, or stretched across a pustule or vesicle, modifying its shape.
• noun In anatomy, a frenum (which see).
• noun An arrangement by which a large kite, used in aërial observations, is attached to the steel wire by which it is held.
• noun A device for controlling the speed of logs on a skid-road.
• noun In certain cephalopods, one of the bands which attach the funnel to the head.
• noun In pianoforte-making. Same as bridle-tape.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• intransitive verb To hold up the head, and draw in the chin, as an expression of pride, scorn, or resentment; to assume a lofty manner; -- usually with up.
• transitive verb To put a bridle upon; to equip with a bridle.
• transitive verb To restrain, guide, or govern, with, or as with, a bridle; to check, curb, or control.
• noun The head gear with which a horse is governed and restrained, consisting of a headstall, a bit, and reins, with other appendages.
• noun A restraint; a curb; a check.
• noun (Gun.) The piece in the interior of a gun lock, which holds in place the tumbler, sear, etc.
• noun A span of rope, line, or chain made fast as both ends, so that another rope, line, or chain may be attached to its middle.
• noun A mooring hawser.
• noun See under Bowline.
• noun See under Branch.
• noun (Naut.) a cable which is bent to a bridle. See 4, above.
• noun the hand which holds the bridle in riding; the left hand.
• noun a path or way for saddle horses and pack horses, as distinguished from a road for vehicles.
• noun (Naut.) a porthole or opening in the bow through which hawsers, mooring or bridle cables, etc., are passed.
• noun a rein attached to the bit.
• noun A road in a pleasure park reserved for horseback exercise.
• noun a bridle path.
• noun See Branks, 2.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun The headgear with which a horse is directed and which carries a bit and reins.
• noun 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.
• verb transitive To put a bridle on.
• verb transitive To check, restrain, or control with, or as if with, a bridle; as in bridle your tongue.
• verb intransitive To show hostility or resentment.