In the manner of a bridle; with regard to bridling or controlling; relating to the bridle or reins.
From 'bridle' + '-wise' (Old English '-wisan', meaning 'in the manner of'). The '-wise' suffix creates adverbs describing manner or direction.
The '-wise' suffix is ancient but still productive—we still create words like 'clockwise' and 'likewise'—and 'bridlewise' shows how medieval English speakers could stack descriptive suffixes to create precise technical vocabulary.
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