Definitions

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

  • noun The pivoted horizontal crossbar to which the harness traces of a draft animal are attached and which is in turn attached to a vehicle or an implement.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Same as swingletree.

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

  • noun Same as whippletree.

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

  • noun US a whippletree

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a crossbar that is attached to the traces of a draft horse and to the vehicle or implement that the horse is pulling

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Variant of whippletree.]

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Examples

  • A huge bat flew down, landed on the whiffletree, and turned into a leering vampire.

    Operation Luna Anderson, Poul, 1926- 1999

  • And the Bates family watched out the window while Coach Bob put little Win in the driver's seat, gripped the whiffletree in his hands behind his back, and heaved the sleigh into motion; the great sled skidded down the snowy yard and into the slippery street that was still lined with elms, in those days — 'As fast as a horse could have pulled it!' my mother always said.

    The Hotel New Hampshire Irving, John, 1942- 1981

  • So was I, with a girl to take care of, a tied-on pole and whiffletree, and practically no gun; for there was not a single loose cartridge in my pockets.

    The La Chance Mine Mystery Susan Morrow Jones

  • "It's the whiffletree, I think," she said, as if she were used to wagons.

    The La Chance Mine Mystery Susan Morrow Jones

  • The pole was snapped, and the whiffletree smashed, so that the traces were useless.

    The La Chance Mine Mystery Susan Morrow Jones

  • This did not offend the young plowman, to judge by the expression of his face; but he said nothing, and, stooping down, loosened the chains of the whiffletree and turned the faces of the tired horses homeward.

    The Redemption of David Corson Charles Frederic Goss

  • I did some fair jury work with a lucky bit of spruce wood, the whiffletree, and the axle, and got the pole spliced.

    The La Chance Mine Mystery Susan Morrow Jones

  • Stuffed some deer skin sewed in due form for collars, fitted to them for harness crooked oak limbs, tied top and bottom with elk skin strings, then to these, straps of hide for tugs, which tied to the end of a stick for a whiffletree, and the center of this I tied to the drag, made from a crotch of a tree.

    Autobiography of John Ball - Across the Plains to Oregon, 1832 1925

  • His face turned white with fear, and he tore a whiffletree from the wagon, which with a push he sent rolling into the thick of them, so that they fell back in confusion.

    Pelle the Conqueror — Complete Martin Andersen Nex�� 1911

  • This made an open space between him and Erik, and Erik sprang quickly over the pole, with his knife ready to strike; but as he sprang, the whiffletree descended upon his head.

    Pelle the Conqueror — Complete Martin Andersen Nex�� 1911

Comments

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  • Such a great word that I'll have to invent a modern usage to keep it going.

    May 19, 2008

  • Other than as a rack for storing whiffleball equipment?

    May 19, 2008

  • A tree that grows whiffle balls?

    May 19, 2008

  • Oh, man! That would Be. So. Awesome.

    May 19, 2008

  • It would be great fun come harvest time. :-)

    May 19, 2008

  • "|F|rom The Century Dictionary.

    noun

    Same as swingletree."

    "|F|rom the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

    noun

    Same as whippletree."

    October 1, 2019