<p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>Also called standing martingale: part of the tack or harness of a horse, consisting of a strap that fastens to the girth, passes between the forelegs and through a loop in the neckstrap or hame, and fastens to the noseband; used to steady or hold down the horse's head.</li><li>Also called running martingale: a similar device that divides at the chest into two branches, each ending in a ring through which the reins pass.</li><li>Nautical: a stay for a jib boom or spike bowsprit.</li><li>A system of gambling in which the stakes are doubled or otherwise raised after each loss.</li></ul>