Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun See capstan.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Common misspelling of capstan.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • We took our station at the top of a rich Persian's house, opposite a spacious esplanade and contiguous to a large pagoda; in the centre of the esplanade was fixed a capstern, with a pole about sixty feet long, which was fixed so as to be occasionally raised or lowered.

    Narrative of a Voyage to India; of a Shipwreck on board the Lady Castlereagh; and a Description of New South Wales W. B. Cramp

  • Penguin, mounting six 32 pound carronades, two long 12's, a 12 pound carronade on the top-gallant fore-castle, with swivels on the capstern in the tops.

    The Medallic History of the United States of America 1776-1876 J. F. Loubat

  • The boats, booms, the wheel, capstern, binnacle, and indeed all the upper portions of the ship, were cut to pieces; the bulwarks were destroyed and the starboard side almost beaten in, while the decks, slippery with gore, were literally strewn with the dead and badly wounded.

    The Two Shipmates William Henry Giles Kingston 1847

  • They were received at the capstern by Captain Poynder.

    Salt Water The Sea Life and Adventures of Neil D'Arcy the Midshipman William Henry Giles Kingston 1847

  • The bowsprit of the _Pique_ passing over the starboard-quarter of the _Blanche_, Captain Faulkner, aided by his second lieutenant and two others of his crew, was in the act of lashing the _Pique's_ bowsprit to her capstern, when he was shot by a musket-ball through the heart.

    How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves Updated to 1900 William Henry Giles Kingston 1847

  • The capstern went round with a merry tune -- the boatswain's whistle sounded shrilly along the decks with a magic effect -- the anchor was hove up -- the sails were let fall and but a few minutes had passed, after the captain gave the word of command, before the ship, under a wide spread of snowy canvas, was standing down the Solent towards the Needle passage.

    My First Cruise and Other stories William Henry Giles Kingston 1847

  • Bobby Smudge soon came rolling along, hitching up his trousers as he approached the capstern.

    Salt Water The Sea Life and Adventures of Neil D'Arcy the Midshipman William Henry Giles Kingston 1847

  • Placing his cook and steward at the helm, he made the other men take reef tackles to the capstern, while he went alone aloft, lay out on the yard, passed the earings, and tied the reef-points, keeping an eye all the time at the helm, and directing his two faithful men by signs how to steer.

    Our Sailors Gallant Deeds of the British Navy during Victoria's Reign William Henry Giles Kingston 1847

  • "What is this you have to complain of, Mr Trundle?" asked the first-lieutenant, as he stood at the capstern-head, with the enraged boatswain before him.

    Salt Water The Sea Life and Adventures of Neil D'Arcy the Midshipman William Henry Giles Kingston 1847

  • It was so hot, too, that the pitch bubbled up through the seams in the deck, and Dickey Snookes declared we could have roasted our dinners on the capstern-head.

    My First Cruise and Other stories William Henry Giles Kingston 1847

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