According to abbreviationfinder.org, the etymological origin of the term that concerns us we have to state that it is found in old French. Specifically, it derives from “corsier”, which was a word that was used to refer to both the race that took place and the horse that participated.
This is what is called an agile and fast horse, of great height, which is used in battles and competitions, according to what is indicated by the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) in its dictionary.
For example: “The bandit got on his steed and fled at full speed”, “The train moved slowly through the mountains while a group of steeds watched the formation pass”, “The man fell from his steed and was injured”.
Horses are mammals belonging to the equine family. These are perissodactyl animals: their limbs have odd toes, the central one being the most developed, and they end in hooves. Although the use of the idea of steed is usually restricted to light specimens, it is sometimes used to name any kind of horse.
“Spirit: the indomitable steed” is the title by which the animated film “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”, released in 2002, was known in Spanish. It is a Dreamworks Animation production that tells the story of a wild horse.
In the same way, we cannot ignore the existence of another film that has the word in question in its title. We are referring to “The Black Steed”, which premiered in 1979 under the direction of Carroll Ballard and produced by Francis Ford Coppola.
Kelly Reno, Mickey Rooney and Teri Garr are some of the actors in this feature film, based on the children’s novel created by Walter Farley.
It tells the story of a young man named Alec who is shipwrecked on the ship traveling with his father. The two survivors will be the boy and a black horse who will manage to reach a desert island. There, little by little, they will forge a friendship that will be necessary and essential to get ahead.
Later, they will be rescued and that will lead them to further strengthen that relationship when they become a perfect team to compete in horse races. Alec will become a great rider who will be very capable of turning the steed into a winner. And he will achieve it, which will make the two of them become very successful figures in that sporting field.
In Latin America, the word steed usually refers to the opening song of the popular television series “El Zorro” that originally aired between 1957 and 1959 with the leading role of Guy Williams. The musical theme begins as follows: “On his steed, / when the moon rises, / the brave Zorro appears”.
Corcel, finally, was a car model that Ford manufactured in Brazil through an agreement with Renault between 1968 and 1986. The Ford Corcel was an offshoot of the Renault 12.
