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apeak

or a·peek

[uh-peek]Nautical
adjective
  1. more or less vertical.
  2. (of a dropped anchor) as nearly vertical as possible without being free of the bottom.
  3. (of an anchored vessel) having the anchor cable as nearly vertical as possible without freeing the anchor.
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adverb
  1. vertically.
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Origin of apeak

First recorded in 1590–1600; a-1 + peak1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for apeak

Historical Examples

  • Both parties appeared for some seconds as if spellbound, and the oars on both rafts were for a while held “apeak.”

    The Ocean Waifs

    Mayne Reid

  • Their anchors were apeak, and they were ready to get under way at a moment's notice.

  • Apeak, when the cable is hove taut, so as to bring the vessel nearly over the anchor.

  • The men at once threw their oars “apeak,” as they say; that is, raised them straight up in the air, and waited for further orders.

    Fighting the Whales

    R.M. Ballantyne

  • Never was sail made on the Osprey more quickly, and by the time that the anchor was apeak all the lower sails were set.

    The Queen's Cup

    G. A. Henty

British Dictionary definitions for apeak

apeak

adverb, adjective
  1. nautical in a vertical or almost vertical positionwith the oars apeak
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012