postilion

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   historical: a rider mounted on the near horse of a carriage team in order to guide it, especially when there is no coachman

   The postilion urged the leading pair forward as the carriage climbed the hill.

Borrowed from French postillon, from Italian postiglione, a rider or guide using post-horses, from posta, 'post or relay station.' The word originally belonged to the system in which fresh horses were kept at stations along a route; postillion is a common spelling variant.

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