windlass

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“
At noon it cleared up a little, and the windlass was again manned; but in a short time the fog became thicker than ever.

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Definitions (22)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun Any of numerous hauling or lifting machines consisting essentially of a horizontal cylinder turned by a crank or a motor so that a line attached to the load is wound around the cylinder.
  2. transitive verb To raise with a windlass.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (14)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (5)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

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Examples

  • At noon it cleared up a little, and the windlass was again manned; but in a short time the fog became thicker than ever. —  Poor Jack
  • Upon this, the windlass was at once manned, the cable hove short, and the tug signalled to come alongside and take the tow-rope. —  The Missing Merchantman
  • Fortunately for us, our windlass was an exceptionally good and powerful one; but, on the other hand, the holding-ground proved to be exceptionally tenacious; and, for a long five minutes, the cable stood straight up and down, rigid as a solid bar, defying our utmost efforts to get so much as a single additional pawl. —  The Cruise of the "Esmeralda"
  • "Into the guard-house, Baas; the windlass is there, but no man." —  The People of the Mist
  • More and more she leans over to the whale, while every gasping heave of the windlass is answered by a helping heave from the billows; till at last, —  Moby Dick, or, the whale
 

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Etymologies (5)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English wyndlas, alteration of windas, from Old Norse vindāss : vinda, to wind + āss, pole.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (4)

  1. Early modern English also windlace, windlasse, windlesse, wyndelesse; perhaps from Middle English *windels (= Middle Low German windelse, a winding, hurdle-work, Low German windels, a winding, as the winding of a screw, or the ornamental work on a sword-hilt), from Anglo-Saxon windan, etc., turn, wind: see wind, and cf. windle.
  2. Early modern English also windlace; from windlass, n.
  3. Early modern English also windles; a corruption of windas, windass, by confusion with windlass.
  4. from windlass, n.
 

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/ˈwɪndləs/
by American Heritage

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