mar·tin·gale 
(märtn-gāl′) also mar·tin·gal (-găl′)
(märtn-gāl′) also mar·tin·gal (-găl′)n.
1. The strap of a horse's harness that connects the girth to the noseband and is designed to prevent the horse from throwing back its head.
2. Nautical Any of several parts of standing rigging strengthening the bowsprit and jib boom against the force of the head stays.
3. Games A method of gambling in which one doubles the stakes after each loss.
4. A loose half belt or strap placed on the back of a garment, such as a coat or jacket.
[French, martingale, from Provençal martegalo, martingale rigging parts, martingale harness strap, game in which the stakes double after each loss, from feminine of martegal, person from the town of Martigues in southeast France (the game being so called from the reputation of the people of Martigues for naiveté and extravagance, due to the town's unconventional, isolated location on a canal linking a lagoon to the Mediterranean Sea).]