Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun One who rides the near horse of the leaders to guide the horses drawing a coach.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A post-boy; one who rides a post-horse; a guide or forerunner.
- noun One who rides the near horse of the leaders when four or more horses are used in a carriage or post-chaise, or who rides the near horse when one pair only is used and there is no driver on the box.
- noun Same as
postilion-basque .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun One who rides and guides the first pair of horses of a coach or post chaise; also, one who rides one of the horses when one pair only is used.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
rider mounted on the near, leadinghorse pulling acarriage whoguides the team.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun someone who rides the near horse of a pair in order to guide the horses pulling a carriage (especially a carriage without a coachman)
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The postilion was a venerable 'boy' of sixty -- a martyr to rheumatic gout, the result of excessive exposure in youth, counteracted by strong liquors -- who had stood at inn-doors doing nothing for the whole five-and-twenty years that had elapsed since he had no longer been required to ride professionally, as if expecting the old times to come back again.
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The postilion was a venerable "boy" of sixty -- a martyr to rheumatic gout, the result of excessive exposure in youth, counter-acted by strong liquors -- who had stood at inn-doors doing nothing for the whole five-and-twenty years that had elapsed since he had no longer been required to ride professionally, as if expecting the old times to come back again.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles Thomas Hardy 1884
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With an impatient murmur, the stranger called the postilion and sent him to the
Wife in Name Only Charlotte M. Brame 1860
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Our postilion was a silly fellow, who could not understand whether his money was correct.
Northern Travel Summer and Winter Pictures of Sweden, Denmark and Lapland Bayard Taylor 1851
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As it grew lighter, we were surprised to find that our postilion was a girl.
Northern Travel Summer and Winter Pictures of Sweden, Denmark and Lapland Bayard Taylor 1851
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Our postilion was a thorough master of his calling, and his spurs and whip seemed to know no cessation from action.
A Bibliographical, Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour in France and Germany, Volume One Thomas Frognall Dibdin 1811
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What prisoners call a "postilion" is a pallet of bread artistically moulded, which is sent into Ireland, that is to say, over the roofs of a prison, from one courtyard to another.
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What is certain is, that on the following morning, a "postilion" was flung from the Charlemagne yard into the Lions 'Ditch, over the five-story building which separated the two court-yards.
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What prisoners call a "postilion" is a pallet of bread artistically moulded, which is sent into Ireland, that is to say, over the roofs of a prison, from one courtyard to another.
Les Misérables Victor Hugo 1843
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What is certain is, that on the following morning, a "postilion" was flung from the Charlemagne yard into the Lions 'Ditch, over the five-story building which separated the two court-yards.
Les Misérables Victor Hugo 1843
sionnach commented on the word postilion
also spelled as 'postillion'. Best known for its apocryphal inclusion in 19th century foreign language primers, as part of the immortal phrase: "Stop the coach, the postillion has been struck by lightning!" I know of several people who, like myself, heard this phrase growing up, but have never been able to track it down in print.
January 29, 2007