Main Entry:

mus·tang

Pronunciation:

\ˈməs-ˌtaŋ\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Mexican Spanish mestengo, from Spanish, stray, from mesteño strayed, from mesta annual roundup of cattle that disposed of strays, from Medieval Latin (animalia) mixta mixed animals

Date:

1808

1: a small hardy naturalized horse of United States western plains directly descended from horses brought in by the Spaniards ; also : bronc2slang : a commissioned officer (as in the United States Navy) who has risen from the ranks