What does remount mean?
Remount means to mount again, most often by getting back onto a horse after falling or dismounting. It may also describe placing a rider on a horse again, as in “the officer remounted the exhausted animal.” The word has a formal, slightly old-fashioned quality and is much more natural in equestrian, military, or historical contexts than in ordinary conversation. Its clearest modern use is in descriptions of riders recovering after a fall: although the horse may have stumbled, the rider remounts and continues. The prefix re- means “again,” while mount means to get onto a horse or rise onto something. Although remount once also had a practical military meaning involving fresh horses for mounted troops, that sense is now uncommon. In contemporary English, the expression generally carries an image of determination and a return to action after an interruption or setback.
verbTo mount again, especially to get back onto a horse or put a rider on a horse. It can also mean to mount or ascend something again.
- To get back onto a horse after dismounting or falling.
- To put a rider on a horse again.
"After the horse stumbled, she calmly remounted and continued along the trail."
"The jockey remounted after being thrown in the second race."
"The officer remounted the tired horse before the company continued its march."
Once used chiefly for soldiers and riders, remount now sounds most at home in equestrian stories, where a fall need not mean the end of the ride.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does remount come from?
Remount was formed in English by combining the prefix re-, meaning “again,” with mount, meaning “to get onto” or “to climb.” Mount comes through Old French monter from the Latin montare, a verb associated with the Latin noun mons, meaning “hill” or “mountain.” The compound therefore preserves the literal idea of mounting again, although its surviving use most often concerns a rider and a horse.
Related word forms
How remount is actually used
Remount is formal and relatively uncommon in everyday speech. Its older sense, referring to supplying replacement horses, is now largely historical.
Easily confused with remount
Remount means to mount or ride again, whereas remount can also refer to a fresh supply of horses used for mounted work.
Dismount means to get off a horse, while remount means to get onto a horse again.