windlass
/ˈwɪndləs
/noun
A winch, especially one on a ship or in a harbour.In his work Mi'yar al-'aqul ibn Sina defines simple machines and combinations of them which involve rollers, levers, windlasses, pulleys, and many others....
- And how many boats have their windlasses, cleats and bitts attached firmly enough that they would not tear out?
- His work was honoured by the award of a number of prizes, for calculating the distance travelled by a ship, for a study of ship's anchors, and for a study of cranes and windlasses.
verb [with object]
Haul or lift (something) with a windlass.The sediment and heavy substance accumulating in the bottom of the sewers, impervious to flushing, is removed by process of windlassing at the manholes and transporting to the dumps....
- In addition, each member of the working party will carry one windlassing stick and the commander and assistant commander a pair of wire-cutters each.
- The cutter has a pair of windlassing lugs 1 and 3 which include enlarged portions 5 and 7 at their respective extremities.
Origin
Late Middle English: probably an alteration of obsolete windas, via Anglo-Norman French from Old Norse vindáss, literally 'winding pole'.