belay

[bih-ley]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR belay ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), be·layed, be·lay·ing.

Nautical. to fasten (a rope) by winding around a pin or short rod inserted in a holder so that both ends of the rod are clear.

Mountain Climbing.

to secure (a person) by attaching to one end of a rope.
to secure (a rope) by attaching to a person or to an object offering stable support.

(used chiefly in the imperative)

to cease (an action); stop.
to ignore (an announcement, order, etc.): Belay that, the meeting will be at 0900 instead of 0800.

verb (used without object), be·layed, be·lay·ing.

to belay a rope: Belay on that cleat over there.

noun

Mountain Climbing. a rock, bush, or other object sturdy enough for a running rope to be passed around it to secure a hold.

Origin of belay

before 900; Middle English beleggen, Old English belecgan. See be-, lay¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for belay

Historical Examples of belay

The order was given to belay the head braces, and we waited the result in silence.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
By the time a voice on board her cried, "Belay," faintly, she had gone from my sight.
Romance
Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer
Well there with the throat-halliards; well with the peak; belay!
The Pirate Slaver
Harry Collingwood
“Belay that sea-lawyering, Marline,” interposed Captain Miles.
The White Squall
John Conroy Hutcheson
“Belay that,” said Captain Miles, rousing up now and rubbing his eyes.
The White Squall
John Conroy Hutcheson

British Dictionary definitions for belay

belay

verb -lays, -laying or -layed

nautical to make fast (a line) by securing to a pin, cleat, or bitt

(usually imperative) nautical to stop; cease

(ˈbiːˌleɪ) mountaineering to secure (a climber) to a mountain by tying the rope off round a rock spike, piton, nut, etc

noun

(ˈbiːˌleɪ) mountaineering the attachment (of a climber) to a mountain by tying the rope off round a rock spike, piton, nut, etc, to safeguard the party in the event of a fallSee also running belay

Word Origin for belay

Old English belecgan; related to Old High German bileggen, Dutch beleggen

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

Word Origin and History for belay

from Old English bilecgan, which, among other senses, meant "to lay a thing about" (with other objects), from be- + lecgan "to lay" (see lay (v.)). The only surviving sense is the nautical one of "coil a running rope round a cleat or pin to secure it" (also transferred to mountain-climbing), first attested 1540s; but this is possibly a cognate word, from Dutch beleggen.