jennet

[ jen-it ]

noun

1. a female donkey; a jenny donkey.
2. Also called Spanish jennet,. a small Spanish horse of the Middle Ages, prized as an ideal riding horse for nobility and light cavalry: now considered an extinct type, it was the progenitor of various modern breeds, most notably the Spanish jennet horse .

jennet

/ ˈdʒɛnɪt /

noun

1. Also calledjenny a female donkey or ass
2. a small Spanish riding horse

Word History and Origins

Origin of jennet¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French genet, from Catalan, variant of ginet “horse of the Zenete kind,” from Spanish Arabic zinētī, dialectal variant of zanātī “pertaining to the Zenete tribe (of Berbers),” after Zanātah “the Zenetes”

Word History and Origins

Origin of jennet¹

C15: from Old French genet, from Catalan ginet, horse of the type used by the Zenete, from Arabic Zanātah the Zenete, a Moorish people renowned for their horsemanship

Example Sentences

Bayard stepped up his pace, the jennet pranced and arched her neck, and Robin wanted to get down and swing along with the others.

From Literature

Edward III. was likewise an admirer of the horse; he procured fifty Spanish horses, probably jennets.

From Project Gutenberg

I tell thee he who passed was a goodly Knight, clad in a green vesture, and riding on a great black jennet.

From Project Gutenberg

"I have at hand a pair of English jennets which will carry us thirty leagues without drawing rein."

From Project Gutenberg

He had gone with a flock of English sheep to northern Spain, and come back in the same ship with the Spanish jennets which the captain took in exchange.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• burro
• horse
• mule