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Farrier is now usually applied specifically to a blacksmith who specializes in shoeing horses, a skill that requires not only the ability to shape and fit horseshoes, but also the ability to clean, trim, and shape a horse's hooves. When farrier first appeared in English (as ferrour), it referred to someone who not only shoed horses, but who provided general veterinary care for them as well. Middle English ferrour was borrowed from the Anglo-French word of the same form, which referred to a blacksmith who shoes horses. That word derives from the verb ferrer ("to shoe horses"), which can ultimately be traced back to Latin ferrum, meaning "iron."
Examples of farrier in a Sentence
Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2024
Each officer owns and cares for their horse at their own expense, which includes food, boarding, veterinary care and farrier service (putting on horseshoes).
—Lou Ponsi, Orange County Register, 30 July 2024
Timmy Kriz, a farrier and eighth-generation farmer, runs the farm along with his son, farrier son, Cody, 31.
—Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 29 Apr. 2024
Bennett had a previous career as a farrier and spends his summers competing in local ranch rodeos.
—Jacob Spetzler, The Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Farrier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/farrier. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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