rigging

American  

[rig-ing] / ˈrɪg ɪŋ /

noun

1. the ropes, chains, etc., employed to support and work the masts, yards, sails, etc., on a ship.

2. lifting or hauling tackle.

3. Informal. clothing.

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rigging British  

/ ˈrɪɡɪŋ /

noun

1. the shrouds, stays, halyards, etc, of a vessel

2. the bracing wires, struts, and lines of a biplane, balloon, etc

3. any form of lifting gear, tackle, etc

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Etymology

Origin of rigging

First recorded in 1480–90; rig + -ing ¹

Explanation

Everything on a sailboat or ship that holds the sails up is its rigging. The rigging typically includes masts and ropes. Sometimes the term rigging is used for just about everything on a sailing vessel, including the sails themselves. You can also use this noun for the process of adjusting or setting up these parts, either on a ship or an airship, parachute, or hang-glider. Rigging comes from the verb rig, which was originally nautical and meant just "to fit with sails."

Example Sentences

Rigging raises a sheet, in front of and behind which the dancers play with shadows, misshapen ones with extra auras and penumbras.

From New York Times • Sep. 11, 2022

And Josh, who works at industrial moving company MEI Rigging & Crating, worked in person the entire time.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 11, 2022

“Trucks are also called rigs. Rigging is a verb as well as a noun. … Every piece of rigging is rigged by rigging.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2021

The Bigge Crane and Rigging employees were fired following their "abhorrent" behavior cleaning up the town of Paradise, in Butte County, which was destroyed by the deadly Camp Fire.

From Fox News • Dec. 16, 2018

As fast as our People knotted and spliced the Rigging, it was shot away in their Hands.

From Great Pirate Stories by French, Joseph Lewis