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cordelle

[kawr-del]

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noun

a heavy rope formerly used for towing boats on rivers in Canada and the U.S.

verb (used with object), cor·delled, cor·dell·ing.

to tow (a boat) by means of a cordelle.

Nearby words

Origin of cordelle

1785–95; < French, diminutive of corde cord

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

Examples from the Web for cordelle

We were compelled to cordelle our boat, and sometimes lift it over the rocks for several rods.
Early Western Travels 1748-1846, Volume XXX|Joel Palmer
The cordelle was a rope, often several hundred yards long, by means of which men towed boats up rapid streams.
Early Western Travels 1748-1846, Volume XIV|Edwin James
Big men, bearded and powerful, pushing up stream with the cordelle on their shoulders!
The River and I|John G. Neihardt
With much ado, with poles and cordelle, we made but five miles.
Scenes and Adventures in the Semi-Alpine Region of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and Arkansas|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

When the current was especially strong, the end of the cordelle was attached to a tree and a windlass used.Ed.
Early Western Travels 1748-1846, Volume XIV|Edwin James