Loops or rings that hang from the sides of a horse's saddle to hold a rider's feet, providing stability and control.
From Old English 'stigrap' (stig meaning a climbing post/staircase + rap meaning rope). Originally meant a rope with a loop to help you climb onto a horse, it evolved into the rigid metal or leather stirrup.
Stirrups revolutionized warfare—medieval knights could stand up in stirrups to use their full body weight in sword strikes, changing how battles worked, so this simple word marks one of history's underrated military technologies that made medieval cavalry devastating.
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