2 March 2016
pastern
/ˈpæstən/
noun
1. the part of a horse’s foot between the fetlock and the hoof
2. Also called fetter bone. either of the two bones that constitute this part
Word Origin
C14: from Old French pasturon, from pasture a hobble, from Latin pāstōrius of a shepherd, from pastor
Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for pastern
n.
late 13c., “shackle fixed on the foot of a horse or other beast,” from Old French pasturon (Modern French paturon), diminutive of pasture “shackle for a horse in pasture,” from Vulgar Latin *pastoria, noun use of fem. of Latin pastorius “of herdsmen,” from pastor “shepherd” (see pastor ). Metathesis of -r- and following vowel occurred 1500s. Sense extended (1520s) to part of the leg to which the tether was attached.
Online Etymology Dictionary
Today’s quote
The measure of a man is what he does with power.
– Plato
On this day
2 March 1904 – birth of Theodore Seuss Geisel, (Dr Seuss), children’s author. Died 24 September 1991.
2 March 1917 – Russian Czar Nicholas II is forced to abdicate following the Bloody Sunday massacres in which palace guards opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing many of them. His abdication brought an end to 300 years of rule by the Romanov dynasty.
2 March 1942 – birth of Lou Reed (Lewis Allan Reed), American glam rock musician, singer and song-writer. Was lead singer of 60s alternative band, Velvet Underground, before going solo and having hits such as ‘Walk on the Wild Side’, ‘Vicious’, ‘Satellite of Love’ and ‘Perfect Day’. His albums Transformer and Berlin are considered among the most influential albums of the 20th century. Reed coined the term ‘Ostrich tuning’ in relation to a type of trivial tuning of strings. The six strings of a guitar are normally tuned to EADGbe. However in his 1964 song, The Ostrich (performed by the Primitives, which later became Velvet Underground) Reed tuned all six strings of his guitar to a single D note: DDDDdd. Died 27 October 2013.
2 March 1969 – The Concorde, the world’s first supersonic passenger jet, makes its maiden flight.