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Now chiefly
hist.Brit. /p
st
l
n/, /pstln/, U.S. /pstljn/, /po
stljn/ Forms: 15-16 postillon, 15- postillion, 16 postilian, 16- postilion; Sc. pre-17 posteil
en, pre-17 postullioune, pre-17 17- postilion, 17- postillion. [< Middle French, French postillon person who rides a post-horse, postman, courier (1560 in Middle French), person who rides one of the horses in front of a coach (1680), small supplementary float on a fishing line (1868), basque imitating a postilion's coat in style (1869) and its probable etymon Italian postiglione guide or forerunner for the post, courier, driver of a post-coach (although this is apparently first attested later than the French and English words: 1585) < posta POST n.3 + -iglione, suffix (< -iglia -ILLA suffix + -one: see -OON suffix). Compare Spanish postillón (1552), Portuguese postilhão (1552), both probably < Italian (in spite of the chronological difficulties), and also German Postillion, 
Postilion, Postillon courier (1572; now obsolete in this sense), (now hist.) driver of a post-coach (1750 or earlier; < either Middle French or Italian).
The date of first attestation given here for the French word follows Trésor de la langue française s.v. postillon; other dictionaries variously date the text (in an edition of the works of Clément Marot) which contains the earliest known occurrence of the word to c1540, 1538, or even 1530. For an overview of the lexicographical documentation of the various Romance words see M. Cohen in Mélanges linguistiques offerts à Emil Petrovici (1958) 135.]
1. a. A guide or forerunner for the post, or for a messenger, etc. Obs.
1565 in J. B. Paul
Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1916) XI. 439 For ane blawing horne to the postullioune xx s.
1591 R. P
ERCYVALL Bibliotheca Hispanica Dict. s.v.
Postillon, A postillon, a guide for a post,
dux praecursoris.
1611 R. COTGRAVE Dict. French & Eng. Tongues,
Postillon, a Postillon, Guide, Postes boy.
1658 E. PHILLIPS New World Eng. Words,
Postillon, (French) a Post's guide, or fore-runner.
b. fig. A forerunner, harbinger, herald. Obs.
a1586 SIR P. SIDNEY Arcadia (1590)
III. xviii. sig. Ss6, But when he strake,..his arme seemed still a postillion of death.
1647 R. FANSHAWE tr. B. Guarini
Pastor Fido I. i. 11 Seest thou yon Star of such excelling hew, The Suns Postillion?
1652 E. BENLOWES Theophila VII. xliv. 101 Windes are Van-Curriers, & Postilions to Thy Will.
1767 H. JONES Kew Garden I. 12 The first pale postilion of the spring, The primrose meek.
2. A person who rides a post-horse, a post-boy; (more generally) a courier, a swift messenger. Also fig. Now rare.
1616 J. BULLOKAR Eng. Expositor,
Postilion, a speedy poste or messenger.
1645 J. HOWELL Epistolæ Ho-elianæ To Rdr sig. A3, Those wing'd postillions that can flie, From the Anartic to the Artic skie.
1663 B. G
ERBIER Counsel to Builders 8 Postillions, hasten with the Packet-Maile to the Post Office.
1685 tr. B. Gracián y Morales
Courtiers Oracle 160 These are the Postillions of life, who to the swift motion of time, add the rapidity of their own minds.
1708 London Gaz. No. 4464/6, The Postillion of Ghent is just now arrived, with Letters to Mr. de Caris.
1858 Harper's Mag. Apr. 593/2 Mr. Atkinson left Moscow early in March, accompanied by a post-office postillion, who had orders to escort him to the Siberian frontier.
1908 Daily Chron. 28 May 5/3 The wife of the family cook was ‘love's postillion’ between the Princess and Koczian.
3. A person who rides the (leading) nearside (left-hand side) horse drawing a coach or carriage, esp. when one pair only is used and there is no coachman Also in extended use: an outrider for a carriage. Now chiefly hist.
Now usually referring to those riders attending a state carriage on ceremonial occasions.
a1640 P. MASSINGER City-Madam (1658)
II. ii. 113 Drawn by six Flanders; mares my Coachman, Grooms, Postilian, and Footmen.
1640 J. FLETCHER &
J. SHIRLEY Night-walker II. sig. D4
v, Thou shat have horses sixe, and a postilion.
1656 A. COWLEY Muse in
Pindaric Odes i, Let the Postilion Nature mount, and let The Coachman Art be set.
1703 DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH Let. 4 May in H. L. Snyder
Marlborough-Godolphin Corr. (1975) I. 176 If you will have one now you must send a coachman and postillion to receive them at Rotterdam.
1771 N. N
ICHOLLS Corr. with Gray (1843) 118 The Yarmouth coach, when it has gone at all, has gone with eight horses and four postilions.
1811 DUKE OF WELLINGTON in J. Gurwood
Dispatches (1837) VIII. 286 The account of the rations issued to the post horses and mules, and postillions.
1840 T. S. F
AY Ctess. Ida I. iii. 17 Sometimes, on being awakened by the crack of the postillion's whip, or the sudden stopping of the coach, Madame Wharton would fall into a train of reflection.
1881 W. BESANT &
J. RICE Chaplain of Fleet III. xx. 173 They called aloud to the postilions to stop the horses.
1923 R. MACAULAY Told by Idiot II. xxv. 155 An open carriage, surrounded by postilions and red-coated running footmen.
1976 J. RICHARDS Stagecoach 19 Four horses were driven from the box seat by the coachman and the lead horses were controlled by a postillion riding on the off leader.
1985 J. MORRIS Last Lett. from Hav iv. 36 The barouche is followed out of the palace yard..by a pair of jolly postilions wearing their astrakhan hats at a jaunty angle and equipped with gleaming swords.
4. A small supplementary float on a fishing line. Obs. rare.
1888 G. B. GOODE Amer. Fishes 8 The use of supplementary floats, or ‘postillions’,..to keep the line from sinking.
5. In full postilion-basque. A basque imitating a postilion's coat in style. Cf. Compounds 2. Obs.
1890 Cent. Dict. 4642/3 Postilion... Same as Postilion-basque. 1890 Cent. Dict., Postilion-basque, a woman's basque having its skirt cut at the back into short square tabs or coat-tails, after the fashion of a postilion's coat.
COMPOUNDS
C1. General attrib., as postilion harness, postilion saddle, postilion whip, etc.
1621 in W. Fraser
Mem. Maxwells of Pollok (1863) I. 328 To the saidillar, to set to curpall and
posteil
en tagis to the lyttil saidill.
1676 W. PERWICH Despatches (1903) 311 They..tore all his cloaths off, and with two postilion whips scurged him..severely.
1689 London Gaz. No. 2475/4, A Postilion Saddle of black Leather.
1753 F. J
ERDONE Let. 20 Sept. in
William & Mary Q. (1899)
8 41 The old sadle went along with the chariot and harness to serve for a postilion sadle.
1794 W. FELTON Treat. Carriages II. 173 A postillion..harness is the same expence as either the postillion or wheel harness of the other sort.
1849 Times 30 Jan. 1/6 Splendidly silver-mounted four-in-hand or postilion harness, of the most elaborate workmanship.
1965 J. N
EEDHAM Sci. & Civilisation in China ii. 70 The efficient horse harness (the postillion or chest-trace harness).
1998 Carriage Driving Aug.-Sept. 40/2 The set of semi-state postillion harness..was once again offered at auction.
C2. Applied to fashion styles or clothing intended to imitate that of a postilion, as postilion-back, postilion-belt, etc. See also sense 5. Now rare.
1773 J. M
INZIES Let. 12 June in F. Mason
John Norton & Sons (1968) 330, 6 Postillion Caps.
1872 Young Englishwoman Dec. 651/2 A dress of olive-brown..had a basque bodice with a postilion back.
1886 Peterson's Mag. Apr. 377/1 At the back, the jacket is laid in postillion-plaits.
1890 Cent. Dict.,
Postilion-belt, a leather belt with a large buckle, worn by ladies about 1860.
1904 Daily Chron. 2 Jan. 8/4 The postilion tabs at the back of the bodice.
1942 E. FERBER Saratoga Trunk vii. 147 The little gray shoulder cape of ottoman silk was edged with narrow black French lace and its postilion back made her small waist look still tinier.
DERIVATIVES
po
stilioned adj. provided with or ridden by a postilion.
1879 Daily News 25 Nov. 5/6 Lord Rosebery,..driving down in an open barouche drawn by four magnificent horses, daintily *postillioned. 1921 M. BEERBOHM Wks. 90 Nearer and louder came the sound, and soon they saw a white, postillioned pony, a chaise and..a weary monarch. 1978 Times 21 Jan. 8/1 Nine postillioned landaus formed a procession to the castle.
postilionize v. Obs. rare (trans.) to provide with a postilion, or to ride as a postilion.
1809 in Spirit of Public Jrnls. (1810) 13 165 Then spank away drives I,..with my six greys (*postilionized) against all England!
postilionwise adv. Obs.
1841 DICKENS Barnaby Rudge lix. 277 One of them..sat *postillion-wise upon the near horse.
1890 B. HARTE Waif of Plains vi. 198 Clarence had been allowed to bestride one of the team leaders postillionwise, and was correspondingly elevated, when Jim joined him, on the Mexican plug.
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