Backband
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A strap that passes over the back of a horse, used to hold up the shafts of a carriage. historical
"The first "Troy" coach put on the road came in 1829. It was a great novelty, but some hundreds of them were soon throwing the dust of Maryland and Pennsylvania into the air. Their cost then was between four and six hundred dollars. The harness used on the road was of giant proportions. The backbands were often fifteen inches wide, and the hip bands, ten. The traces were chains with short thick links and very heavy."
- 2 a broad band that passes over the back of a horse and supports the shafts of a vehicle wordnet
Example
More examples"The first "Troy" coach put on the road came in 1829. It was a great novelty, but some hundreds of them were soon throwing the dust of Maryland and Pennsylvania into the air. Their cost then was between four and six hundred dollars. The harness used on the road was of giant proportions. The backbands were often fifteen inches wide, and the hip bands, ten. The traces were chains with short thick links and very heavy."
Etymology
From back + band.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.