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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
Susan Young, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Many jobs have disappeared, like those of farriers or typesetters.
—IEEE Spectrum, 27 Feb. 2024
The Queen offered a gentle pet during a clinic session with vets, farriers and handlers.
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King Charles
During his own solo stop on Wednesday, the King visited the Karura urban forest to highlight the crucial role of green spaces and forests in sustainable cities.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 3 Nov. 2023
Other anvils are designed for farriers–men and women who shoe horses and do hoof-care.
—Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 9 Aug. 2023
For more on the farrier versus blacksmith anvil discussion, visit the Centaur Forge website.
—Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 9 Aug. 2023
There were the huge drum horses, the farriers with glinting axes and the buglers.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 17 June 2023
Mantila is a qualified farrier.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 18 Mar. 2022
These assessment fees are intended to cover services such as veterinary examinations and steward monitoring, and farrier pre-race examinations of horseshoes.
—Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'farrier.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Farrier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/farrier. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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