mustang

American  

[muhs-tang] / ˈmʌs tæŋ /

noun

1. a small, hardy horse of the American plains, descended from Spanish stock.

2. U.S. Navy Slang. a naval officer who received his commission while still an enlisted man.

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verb (used without object)

1. to round up wild horses, especially in order to sell them illegally to slaughterhouses.

mustang British  

/ ˈmʌstæŋ /

noun

1. a small breed of horse, often wild or half wild, found in the southwestern US

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Etymology

Origin of mustang

1800–10, < Spanish mestengo stray or ownerless beast, noun use of masculine adj.: pertaining to a mixed lot of beasts, equivalent to mest ( a ) such a mixed lot (< Latin ( animālia ) mixta mixed (beasts), neuter plural adj., taken as feminine singular noun; mixed ) + -engo adj. suffix

Example Sentences

The image shows a dirt-caked wild mustang kicking up dust in north-western Colorado, USA.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2022

In a lifetime of working with horses, Gary Kidd, 73, had never adopted an untrained wild mustang before.

From Seattle Times • May 15, 2021

In the United States, park authorities spend more than $50 million annually to manage booming mustang populations, which are protected from culling by federal law.

From New York Times • Jun. 28, 2020

Even Raymond the mule, who lived with the wild horses until he retired last year to the farm, has Spanish mustang ancestry from his mother, said Meg Puckett, manager of the Corolla wild horse herd.

From Washington Times • May 30, 2020

Or about the time he wrestled a pack of wild dogs that had surrounded a lame mustang.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Related Words

• colt
• filly
• mare
• stallion