Thill definitions

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

THILL, n. The shaft of a cart, gig or other carriage. The thills are the two pieces of timber extending from the body of the carriage on each side of the last horse, by which the carriage is supported in a horizontal position.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: one of two shafts extending from the body of a cart or carriage on either side of the animal that pulls it

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English thille, perhaps from Old English, plank; akin to Old English thel board, Old High German dili, and probably to Latin tellus earth Date: 14th century a shaft of a vehicle

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. a shaft of a cart or carriage, esp. one of a pair. Etymology: ME: orig. unkn.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thill Thill, n. [OE. thille, AS. ?ille a board, plank, beam, thill; akin to ?el a plank, D. deel a plank, floor, G. diele, OHG. dili, dilla, Icel. ?ilja a plank, planking, a thwart, ?ili a wainscot, plank; cf. Skr. tala a level surface. [root]236. Cf. Fill a thill, Deal a plank.] 1. One of the two long pieces of wood, extending before a vehicle, between which a horse is hitched; a shaft. 2. (Mining) The floor of a coal mine. --Raymond. Thill coupling, a device for connecting the thill of a vehicle to the axle.