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🇮🇹Italian Source WordCode: IT

cavallo da tiro

Pronunciation / Transliteration: kaˈvallo da ˈtiro

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Wheel-horse/ˈwiːl.hɔːs/
nounCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #14500 frequency
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🇮🇹 Example Sentence in Italian:

"È il cavallo da tiro dell'ufficio."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A horse hitched nearest to the wheels of a carriage or wagon, positioned behind the leaders to help back up or guide the vehicle.

    "The experienced wheel-horse steadied the cart as they descended the steep slope."
  2. 2

    A person who does the heaviest, most reliable, and hardest part of the work in an organization, team, or project.

    "She has been the true wheel-horse of the committee, handling all the difficult administrative tasks for years."
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Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the combination of 'wheel' and 'horse', originating in the late 17th century within equestrian terminology. Originally referring specifically to the horse nearest the wheels of a vehicle, the term evolved metaphorically to describe a hardworking person who does the heaviest or most dependable share of labor in an enterprise.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Wheel-horse"?

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Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Wheel-horse"

Discover exact matches, context-specific alternatives, and antonyms with intensity ratings in the VocabDictionary Thesaurus.

View "Wheel-horse" Synonym Map
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