Definition

1. Noun:
   • A foot support for a rider: A stirrup is a metal loop or frame that hangs from a saddle, providing a place for a rider to rest their foot while mounting or riding a horse.
   • A bone in the ear: In anatomy, the stirrup is the common name for the stapes, a small, stirrup-shaped bone in the middle ear that transmits vibrations to the inner ear.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Foot support):
  • She placed her foot in the stirrup and swung herself onto the horse.
  • The knight's foot slipped from the stirrup during the charge.
• Noun (Ear bone):
  • The stirrup is the smallest bone in the human body.
  • An infection can damage the delicate stirrup and affect hearing.

Advanced Usage

• "Stirrup cup": A drink offered to a rider about to depart, traditionally handed to them while they are already in the saddle with their foot in the stirrup.
  • The host offered a stirrup cup of sherry to his departing guest.
• "Stirrup leather" or "stirrup strap": The strap that connects the stirrup to the saddle.
  • He adjusted the length of the stirrup leather for a more comfortable ride.

Variants and Related Words

• Stapes (n): The formal medical term for the stirrup bone in the ear.
  • The surgeon carefully manipulated the stapes to restore hearing.
• Stirrup pump (n): A small, portable hand-operated water pump with a footrest shaped like a stirrup.
  • They used a stirrup pump to put out the small fire.

Synonyms

• Foot iron: (Archaic) Another term for a riding stirrup.
• Stapes: The anatomical synonym for the ear bone.

Related Phrases

• "To die in the stirrups": An idiom meaning to die while actively engaged in one's work or duty, historically associated with soldiers or riders.
  • The old rancher always said he wanted to die in the stirrups, not in a bed.

Notes

• The two primary meanings of "stirrup" are distinct and belong to different fields (equestrianism and anatomy). The connection is the shared shape resembling a rider's foot support.
• The word originates from Old English , from (to climb) and (rope).

Noun

1. the stirrup-shaped ossicle that transmits sound from the incus to the cochlea
2. support consisting of metal loops into which rider's feet go