grapnel
/ˈɡrapn(ə)l
/noun
1A grappling hook.This entails digging down around the mine so that a grapnel can be attached and the mine pulled out of the ground my men under cover....
- Instantly dazzled, I scurry along to the top of a bed at the very end, by the corner, where a petrol lamp jingles unnoticed from a ceiling grapnel.
- Several grapnels were hurled onto the deck from the patrol boat, latching onto to side rails and other parts of the hull.
2A small anchor with several flukes.To ensure that the shotline remains in one place, a folding grapnel anchor of the type commonly used by small boats in areas where a sand anchor will not hold is ideal....
- In fact, as Tendron threw grapnels across and boarded the ship, he was welcomed by a committee which included Redwing and Princess Jenaryn.
- This proved invaluable for accurately plotting the outline of the wreck and positioning our grapnel line exactly where we wanted it.
Origin
Late Middle English: from an Anglo-Norman French diminutive of Old French grapon, of Germanic origin.