hurdle

Meanings

Noun

  • An artificial barrier, variously constructed, over which athletes or horses jump in a race.
  • A perceived obstacle.
  • A movable frame of wattled twigs, osiers, or withes and stakes, or sometimes of iron, used for enclosing land, for folding sheep and cattle, for gates, etc.; also, in fortification, used as revetments, and for other purposes.
  • A sled or crate on which criminals were formerly drawn to the place of execution.
  • Misspelling of hurtle

Verb

  • To jump over something while running.
  • To compete in the track and field events of hurdles (e.g. high hurdles).
  • To overcome an obstacle.
  • To hedge, cover, make, or enclose with hurdles.
  • Misspelling of hurtle

Origin

  • From Middle English hurdel, hirdel, herdel, hyrdel, from Old English hyrdel ("frame of intertwined twigs used as a temporary barrier"), diminutive of *hyrd, from Proto-Germanic *hurdiz, from Pre-Germanic *kr̥h₂tis, from Proto-Indo-European *kreh₂-. Cognate with Dutch horde, German Hürde.

Modern English dictionary

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