outrider

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a mounted escort who rides ahead of or beside a procession, vehicle, or body of travelers

   Two outriders moved ahead of the convoy to inspect the road.

2. 2
   noun

   a person or idea operating at the edge of a group and often anticipating later developments

   The essay was an outrider of the political movement that emerged a decade later.

From Middle English outridere, literally 'one who rides out,' formed from out + rider. Its duties as an advance or flanking rider led to the figurative sense of a person or idea positioned ahead of a larger movement.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary