1. a wooden crossbar to which the traces of a harness are attached, used to connect a horse or other draft animal to a vehicle or implement
Usage: historical; agricultural

Examples

• The farmer attached the horse’s harness to the whippletree before plowing the field.
• The old wagon’s whippletree was made of sturdy oak wood.
• He examined the whippletree for cracks before hitching up the team.
• The blacksmith repaired the metal fittings on the whippletree.
• Museum visitors could see how the whippletree connected the horse to the plow.
• The whippletree allowed the horse to pull the cart more efficiently.