The metal loop that hangs down on each side of a horse's saddle, for the rider's foot to rest in. There are two, joined to the saddle by straps called stirrup leathers, and they do more than hold the feet: they are what a rider pushes against to get up onto the horse in the first place, and what lets a rider stand, balance and stay on at speed.

The metal loop that hangs down on each side of a horse's saddle掛在馬鞍兩側的金屬環，for the rider's foot to rest in讓騎馬的人把腳放進去。There are two一副有兩個，joined to the saddle by straps called stirrup leathers靠一種叫做stirrup leathers的皮帶連到馬鞍上，and they do more than hold the feet而且它們的作用不只是放腳：they are what a rider pushes against to get up onto the horse in the first place是騎士一開始踩著上馬時用力的地方，and what lets a rider stand, balance and stay on at speed也是讓騎士能站起來、保持平衡、在快速移動時不摔下來的關鍵。

Historically this mattered enormously — stirrups let a soldier fight from horseback without falling off, and they changed how wars were fought. Common phrases: put your foot in the stirrup, lose a stirrup (your foot slips out), ride with your stirrups short.

Historically this mattered enormously在歷史上這件事影響非常大——stirrups let a soldier fight from horseback without falling off馬鐙讓士兵能騎在馬上作戰而不會摔下來，and they changed how wars were fought也改變了戰爭的打法。Common phrases常見說法有：put your foot in the stirrupput your foot in the stirrup（把腳放進馬鐙）、lose a stirrup (your foot slips out)lose a stirrup（腳滑出馬鐙）、ride with your stirrups shortride with your stirrups short（把馬鐙調短騎）。

From horses the word has been borrowed for other loop-shaped things: the stirrup bone is one of the three tiny bones in your middle ear, named for its shape; stirrup pants have a loop of cloth that goes under the foot; and in a hospital, the two supports for a patient's feet on an examination table are called stirrups too. Say it STIR-rup.

From horses the word has been borrowed for other loop-shaped things從馬鞍這個意思延伸出去，這個字也用來指其他環狀的東西：the stirrup bone is one of the three tiny bones in your middle earstirrup bone是耳朵中耳裡三塊小骨頭之一，named for its shape因為形狀像馬鐙而得名；stirrup pants have a loop of cloth that goes under the footstirrup pants這種褲子有一圈布繞過腳底；and in a hospital, the two supports for a patient's feet on an examination table are called stirrups too在醫院裡，檢查台上讓病人放腳的兩個支架也叫做stirrups。Say it STIR-rup唸法是STIR-rup。