trapeze
/trəˈpiːz
/noun
1 (also flying trapeze) A horizontal bar hanging by two ropes and free to swing, used by acrobats in a circus.Henthorn, a Chicagoan, got hooked on the trapeze after seeing a circus show....
- At first, she can't even swing on the trapeze; she merely hangs, then falls to the net.
- Nobody had ever made theatre look like it, let alone Shakespeare - on a bare white stage with trapezes and ropes.
2 Sailing A harness attached by a cable to a dinghy’s mast, enabling a sailor to balance the boat by leaning backwards far out over the windward side.The dinghy has three sails and a trapeze, which allows Katherine to lean out of the boat on a wire to counteract the force of the sails and keep the boat upright....
- He introduced innovations in standing and running rigging, sail setting, hydrofoil under-water gear, remotely controlled pumps, self-draining devices, controllable, flexible rigs, trapezes and out-board hung rudders.
- In the comfort of their trapezes and trampolines, the multihull sailors had an easier time than the courageous Laser sailors, who were constantly adjusting sails, gear and centerboards to the gusts of wind and choppy waters.
Origin
Mid 19th century: from French trapèze, from late Latin trapezium (see trapezium).