Hobbler
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 One who by tenure was to maintain a horse for military service; a kind of light-horseman in the Middle Ages who was mounted on a hobby. historical
"1954, James Francis Lydon, The hobelar: An Irish contribution to medieval warfare, Irish Sword, II, v, pp. 12–16. However superior the Norman knight might be upon the field of battle, the bogs and woods of Ireland gave little opportunity for the mail-clad charge. Thus there evolved in Ireland, as a habitual part of every Anglo-Norman force, a type of light horseman, which came to be known as the hobelar."
- 2 One who hobbles.
- 3 someone who has a limp and walks with a hobbling gait wordnet
- 4 A small horse.
"The horse was one of the finest I had seen, not a hobbler. This was a far more delicate creature."
- 5 An unlicensed pilot, casual dock labourer, etc.
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- 6 A man who tows a canal boat with a rope.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"1954, James Francis Lydon, The hobelar: An Irish contribution to medieval warfare, Irish Sword, II, v, pp. 12–16. However superior the Norman knight might be upon the field of battle, the bogs and woods of Ireland gave little opportunity for the mail-clad charge. Thus there evolved in Ireland, as a habitual part of every Anglo-Norman force, a type of light horseman, which came to be known as the hobelar."
Etymology
Old English also hobeler, Old French hobelier, Medieval Latin hobellarius (“light horseman”). See hobby (“a horse”).
hobble + -er
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.