cable

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A strong, large-diameter, heavy steel or fiber rope.
2. n. Something that resembles such steel or fiber rope.
3. n. Electricity A bound or sheathed group of mutually insulated conductors.
4. n. Nautical A heavy rope or chain for mooring or anchoring a ship.
5. n. Nautical A cable length.
6. n. A cablegram.
7. n. Cable television.
8. v. To send a cablegram to.
9. v. To transmit (a message) by telegraph.
10. v. To supply or fasten with a cable or cables.
11. v. To send a cablegram.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A rope.
2. n. Specifically A large, strong rope or chain, such as is used to hold a vessel at anchor. Ropes made of hemp, jute, or coir were universally used in former times, but have now, except in small vessels and fishing-craft, been superseded by chains. Chain cables are generally composed of 8 lengths of 15 fathoms each, fastened together with shackles, making in all 120 fathoms. Swivels are inserted in the different lengths to prevent twisting. Cables are also, for special uses, made of wires twisted together.
3. n. See submarine cable, below.
4. n. The traction-rope of a cable-railroad.
5. n. In architecture: A molding of the torus kind, with its surface cut in imitation of the twisting of a rope.
6. n. A cylindrical molding inserted in the flute of a column and partly filling it.
7. To fasten with a cable.
8. In architecture, to fill (the flutes of columns) with cables or cylindrical pieces.
9. [Cf. equiv. wire, verb] To transmit by a telegraph-cable.
10. To send a message by a telegraph-cable.
11. n. A long, narrow strip of land.
12. n. A cablegram; a cable message: as, a cable announcing their departure has just been received.
13. n. An abbreviation of cable-car: as, to take the cable up-town.
14. To make into a cable; specifically, to twist two threads together and then to twist, three of these doubled threads into one, as in the manufacture of sewing-thread.

Wiktionary

1. n. A strong, large-diameter wire or rope, or something resembling such a rope.
2. n. An assembly of two or more cable-laid ropes
3. n. An assembly of two or more wires, used for electrical power or data circuits; one or more and/or the whole may be insulated.
4. n. nautical A heavy rope or chain of at least 10 inches thick, as used to moor or anchor a ship
5. n. communications A system for receiving television or Internet service over coaxial or fibreoptic cables
6. n. Short for cable television, broadcast over the above network, not by antenna
7. n. A telegram, notably when send by (submarine) telegraph cable
8. n. nautical A unit of length equal to one tenth of a nautical mile
9. n. finance The currency pair British Pound against United States Dollar
10. v. transitive To provide with cable(s)
11. v. transitive To fasten (as if) with cable(s)
12. v. transitive To wrap wires to form a cable
13. v. transitive To send a telegram by cable
14. v. intransitive To communicate by cable

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A large, strong rope or chain, of considerable length, used to retain a vessel at anchor, and for other purposes. It is made of hemp, of steel wire, or of iron links.
2. n. A rope of steel wire, or copper wire, usually covered with some protecting or insulating substance.
3. n. (Arch) A molding, shaft of a column, or any other member of convex, rounded section, made to resemble the spiral twist of a rope; -- called also cable molding.
4. v. To fasten with a cable.
5. v. (Arch.) To ornament with cabling. See Cabling.
6. v. Recent To telegraph by a submarine cable.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a conductor for transmitting electrical or optical signals or electric power
2. n. a very strong thick rope made of twisted hemp or steel wire
3. v. fasten with a cable
4. n. a nautical unit of depth
5. n. a telegram sent abroad
6. n. a television system that transmits over cables
7. n. television that is transmitted over cable directly to the receiver
8. v. send cables, wires, or telegrams