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cor·ral

(kə-răl)

1. An enclosure for confining livestock.

2. An enclosure formed by a circle of wagons for defense against attack during an encampment.

tr.v. cor·ralled, cor·ral·ling, cor·rals

1. To drive into and hold in a corral.

2. To arrange (wagons) in a corral.

3. To take control or possession of.

4. To gather; garner: "difficult for congressional leadership to corral a majority of votes" (Don J. Pease).

[Spanish, from Vulgar Latin *currāle, enclosure for carts, from Latin currus, cart, from currere, to run; see kers- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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