capstan
any of various windlasses, rotated in a horizontal plane by hand or machinery, for winding in ropes, cables, etc.
a rotating spindle or shaft, powered by an electric motor, that transports magnetic tape past the heads of a tape recorder at a constant speed.
Origin of capstan
1Words Nearby capstan
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use capstan in a sentence
"This organized conspiracy on your part," the capstan gurgled, taking his cue from the mast.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard KiplingI would drive her faster, but as the lift is hanging in the capstan rope under water, they are not willing to risk it.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis TrevithickBy the help of the capstan he had raised to the deck of the Durande the package which he had made of the lading of the sloop.
Toilers of the Sea | Victor HugoThe cargo of the sloop hoisted on to the deck by the capstan, compact as he had made it, was an encumbrance.
Toilers of the Sea | Victor HugoI tied myself around another capstan, and I says, "Good-night, Tommy!"
The Belted Seas | Arthur Colton
British Dictionary definitions for capstan
/ (ˈkæpstən) /
a machine with a drum that rotates round a vertical spindle and is turned by a motor or lever, used for hauling in heavy ropes, etc
any similar device, such as the rotating shaft in a tape recorder that pulls the tape past the head
Origin of capstan
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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