canter [E18th] This word began as a shortened form of Canterbury pace or Canterbury gallop [M17th], the term for the gentle rate at which mounted pilgrims made their way to the shrine of St Thomas à Becket at Canterbury in the Middle Ages. To win something at a canter [M19th] is to do so with the greatest ease. In horse-racing a horse easily wins a race if it is able to run the final stretch cantering rather than galloping.