† spring-treen.1
Obsolete.
A transverse bar used to harness horses to a carriage, plough, etc., and to which the traces are attached; a swingletree. Also more fully spring-tree bar.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > cart, carriage, or wagon > parts of cart or carriage > [noun] > swingle-tree
swing-tree1396
swingletree1483
spring-tree1600
bridge tree1607
whippin1697
whippletree1733
cross-tree1765
splinter-bar1765
swindle-tree1801
shackle-bar1834
whiffletree1842
heel tree1846
single-tree1847
swingle-bar1849
pulling-tree1895
trace-block1900
1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xxxvii. 568 At each end of the..spring-tree [L. iugis] there were two blades stood out.
1648 Bp. J. Wilkins Math. Magick i. iv. 26 At each of its extremities there is a severall spring-tree..to which either horses or oxen may be fastned.
1699 A. Boyer Royal Dict. at Spring The Spring-tree-bar of a Coach.
a1723 C. Wren Disc. Archit. in L. Phillimore Sir C. Wren Family & Times (1881) 346 At the end of this Rope is a Spring-tree (as our Coachmen use for ye two fore Horses).
1766 Compl. Farmer at Potatoe I put a double spring-tree bar to the cultivator, to avoid the poaching of the horses.
1852 Dundee Courier 11 Aug. The best Equalising Spring-Tree or Draught Bar.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online June 2018).
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