About
The character 镫, derived from its traditional form 鐙, is a phono-semantic compound with the semantic metal radical 钅 (or 釒) on the left and the phonetic component 登 on the right. Originally, it referred to an ancient metal footed vessel for food or an oil lamp. With the development of equestrian equipment, its primary meaning shifted to denote a stirrup, the metal ring suspended from a saddle to support a rider's foot, which is now its standard definition in modern usage.
Etymology Hide
