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Origin and history of trot

trot(n.)

"a specific gait of a horse (or other quadruped) faster than a walk and slower than a run," c. 1300 (late 12c. as a surname), originally of horses, from Old French trot "a trot, trotting" (12c.), from troter "to trot, to go," from Frankish *trotton, from Proto-Germanic *trott- (source also of Old High German trotton "to tread"), derivative of *tred- (see tread (v.)). The trots "diarrhea" is recorded from 1808 (compare the runs).

also from c. 1300

trot(v.)

of a horse, "go at a quick, steady pace," late 14c., trotten, from Old French troter "to trot, to go," from Frankish *trotton (see trot (n.)). Italian trottare, Spanish trotar also are borrowed from Germanic.

As "go or travel" to some place from late 14c., in trot after (something). To trot (something) out originally (1838) was in reference to horses; the figurative sense of "produce and display for admiration" is slang attested by 1845. Related: Trotted; trotting.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to trot

tread(v.)

Middle English treden (past tense trad, past participle troden), from Old English tredan "go by feet, walk; step on, trample; traverse, pass through or over" (class V strong verb; past tense træd, past participle treden), from Proto-Germanic *tred- (source also of Old Saxon tredan, Old Frisian treda, Middle Dutch treden, Old High German tretan, German treten, Gothic trudan, Old Norse troða). This is said by Watkins to be from PIE *der- (1) "assumed base of roots meaning 'to run, walk, step.' " Related: Trod; treaded; treading.

Especially "crush with the feet, thresh grain, press grapes" (late 14c.). In reference to a male bird, especially a domestic cock, "to copulate, cover (a female)," early 14c.; hence treader, treading-fowl, treadfowl, "vigorously sexual male bird," also used of men.

To tread a measure "dance" is from 1590s. To tread water in swimming, "move the feet and hands regularly up and down while keeping the body in an erect position in order to keep the head above the water," is attested by 1764. To tread the stage "perform in a drama" is by 1690s (as tread the boards by 1858). To tread (one's) shoe amiss, said of a woman, was an old euphemism for "be unchaste" (late 14c.).

bog-trotter(n.)

applied to the "wild Irish" from 1670s; see bog + trot (v.).

One who trots over bogs, or lives among bogs; especially, a contemptuous appellation given to the Irish peasantry, probably from the skill shown by many of them in crossing the extensive bogs of the country by leaping from tussock to tussock, where a stranger would find no footing, and from the frequent use they make of this skill to escape from the soldiery, the police, etc. [Century Dictionary]