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Definition of pinfold in English:

pinfold

Pronunciation /ˈpinˌfōld/ /ˈpɪnˌfoʊld/

noun

historical

  • A pound for stray animals.

    ‘Imagine my surprise when I got to the ‘rope walk’, the section between the Old Catholic chapel and the pinfold, and found that either end of the ancient right of way had been, not only dug over but also built upon.’
    • ‘All stray sheep were collected in the pinfold until the owners came to collect them.’
    • ‘The size and shape of pinfolds varies, some are four sided: rectangular, square and irregular, others are circular.’
    • ‘Inevitably, other cattle and sheep occasionally escaped and were, if not claimed, fastened into the Pinfold.’
    enclosure, compound, pen, yard

transitive verb

[with object]historical

  • Confine (a stray animal) in a pinfold.

Origin

Late Old English pundfald, from a base shared by pond and pound+ fold.