hindquarter
hindquarter Lexical Profile
hindquarter Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The rear part of a four-legged animal's body, adjoining the hind legs and comprising the hips, buttocks, and upper thighs (usually used in the plural).
"The horse shifted its weight onto its powerful hindquarters before leaping over the wooden fence."
Either of the two rear quarters of a butchered carcass of beef, lamb, pork, or venison, including the leg and loin.
"The butcher hung the beef hindquarter in the cold storage room to age for three weeks."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the rear anatomy of a living quadruped, this word is almost always used in the plural form ('hindquarters'), whereas the singular form ('hindquarter') is standard in butchery for a single rear cut of a carcass.
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the 16th century as a compound of Middle English 'hind' (meaning at the back or rear, from Old English 'hindan') and 'quarter' (from Old French 'quartier', referring to one of the four limbs and adjacent body parts of a four-legged animal).