WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Pas"tern
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [Of. pasturon, F. p?turon, fr. OF. pasture a tether, for beasts while pasturing; prop., a pasturing. See Pasture.]
Definition : 1. The part of the foot of the horse, and allied animals, between the fetlock and the coffin joint. See Illust. of Horse.

Note: The upper bone, or phalanx, of the foot is called the great pastern bone; the second, the small pastern bone; and the third, in the hoof, the coffin bone. Pastern joint, the joint in the hoof of the horse, and allied animals, between the great and small pastern bones.

2. A shackle for horses while pasturing. Knight.

3. A patten. [Obs.] Dryden.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913