Straps and metal fittings placed on a horse's head to control it; plural of bridle.
From Old English 'bridel,' likely connected to 'braid' (the twisted nature of the equipment), of Germanic origin. The word traveled through Old English to Modern English essentially unchanged.
Bridles are engineering marvels designed by humans to communicate with horses—they're so effective that the metaphor has dominated English for centuries, making 'bridle' our go-to word for any form of control or restraint.
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