martingale

mar·tin·gale

noun \ˈmär-t^ən-ˌgāl, -tiŋ-\

Definition of MARTINGALE

1

: a device for steadying a horse's head or checking its upward movement that typically consists of a strap fastened to the girth, passing between the forelegs, and bifurcating to end in two rings through which the reins pass

2

a : a lower stay of rope or chain for the jibboom used to sustain the strain of the forestays and fastened to or rove through the dolphin striker

b : dolphin striker

3

: any of several systems of betting in which a player increases the stake usually by doubling each time a bet is lost

Illustration of MARTINGALE

Origin of MARTINGALE

Middle French

First Known Use: 1584

Rhymes with MARTINGALE

abigail, altar rail, armored scale, audit trail, aventail, beavertail, bristletail, button quail, clapper rail, coffin nail, Corriedale, cottontail, countervail, Coverdale, direct mail, disentail, draggle-tail, fairy tale, farthingale, fingernail, forestaysail, gaff-topsail, galingale, garage sale, ginger ale, Holy Grail, humpback whale, Irish mail, killer whale, macroscale, microscale, monorail, montadale, nanoscale, nightingale, Nightingale, old wives' tale, overscale, paper trail, pilot whale, ponytail, purple scale, romeldale, rummage sale, sliding scale, solar sail, studding sail, Sunnyvale, swallowtail, tattletale, tooth and nail, tripletail, trundle-tail, vapor trail, yellowtail