Etymology Map
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Shabrack

4 stages from Ottoman Turkish to English.

Today it means an ornamental saddlecloth used by cavalry

Where does the word "shabrack" come from? It comes from Ottoman Turkish çaprak, passing through Hungarian and German before entering English (1800s).

1
Stage 1 of 4
çaprak
Ottoman Turkish · 1500s
"saddlecloth"
a decorated saddlecloth
2
Stage 2 of 4
csábrák
Hungarian · 1600s
"hussar saddlecloth"
hussar horses wore long pointed shabracks embroidered with badges
3
Stage 3 of 4
Schabracke
German · 1700s
"cavalry saddlecloth"
borrowed into German army vocabulary along with the hussars
4
Stage 4 of 4
shabrack
English · 1800s
"cavalry saddlecloth"
used for the ornate saddlecloths of British cavalry officers' dress
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Read the full story

Shabrack’s story begins in Ottoman Turkish: çaprak meant “saddlecloth.” A decorated saddlecloth. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Hungarian as csábrák. Hussar horses wore long pointed shabracks embroidered with badges. From there it passed into German as Schabracke by 1700s. Borrowed into German army vocabulary along with the hussars. It reached English by 1800s as shabrack. Used for the ornate saddlecloths of British cavalry officers' dress. Today, shabrack means an ornamental saddlecloth used by cavalry.