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Definition of pinfold in English:

pinfold

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

Pronunciation

pinfold

/ˈpinˌfōld/ /ˈpɪnˌfoʊld/

transitive verb

[with object] historical

  • Confine (a stray animal) in a pinfold.

Pronunciation

pinfold

/ˈpinˌfōld/ /ˈpɪnˌfoʊld/

Origin

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