α. Middle English brydillees, 1700s– bridleless.
β. Middle English brydelesse, 1500s brideles, 1700s brideless.
bridlelessadj.
/ˈbrʌɪdl̩ləs/, U.S. /ˈbraɪdə(l)ləs/ 1. Not restrained, restricted, or held in check; uncontrolled. Cf. unbridled adj. 1. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > lack of subjection > freedom or liberty > freedom of action or from restraint > [adjective] > completely unchecked
unbridledc1374
untempered1377
bridleless?1406
unrepressed?a1425
untemperatea1425
savagea1450
unchecked1469
undaunted1513
uncontrolleda1535
reinless1566
unrestrained1578
ineffrenate1581
unbitteda1586
check-free1598
uncurbed1600
checkless1604
unbounded1608
uncontained?1611
dis'chained1615
ungoverneda1616
unstanched1621
unsneaped1647
incontrolled1650
controlless1657
irregulated1664
curbless1813
do-as-you-please1845
disenchaineda1849
?1406 T. Hoccleve La Mâle Règle l. 78 in E. P. Hammond Eng. Verse between Chaucer & Surrey (1927) 61/2 His owne wit he deemeth best of all And foorth ther with he renneth brydillees.
a1555 J. Philpot Apol. spitting vpon Arrian sig. B4, in Exam. J. Philpot (?1556) Ashamed of their brideles, blasphemous tounges.
1752 J. Chapman Serm. 15 Prone to Sensualities, brideless in Passions and Appetites.
1842 Morning Post 23 Sept. From this time his life runs right on, in vice with bridleless rapidity.
1995 Econ. & Polit. Weekly 16 Sept. 2307/2 Agrarian society in India was highly stratified, characterised by..bridleless exploitation of the poor peasants.
2. Without a bridle; not having a bridle (in various senses); esp. (of a horse or other animal) not wearing a bridle; (of a person) not using a bridle to ride.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [adjective] > having bridle > not bridled
unbridled1553
bridleless1801
1801 R. Southey Thalaba II. vi. 6 Away went the bridleless steed.
1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 216 The bridleless Numidian cavalry.
1974 S. Modegi in T. Streeter Art of Japanese Kite ix. 76 Children rehearsed with small, cheap, bridleless kites that they bought with their own money.
1985 Estuaries 8 220/2 All plankton nets were 0.425 mm mesh of the bridleless Tucker-type trawl design.
2019 Smithers Interior News (Nexis) 9 Oct. (Final ed.) He showed off some bridleless riding..and talked about the keys to understanding horsemanship.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
<
adj.?1406