derrick

[ der-ik ]
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noun
  1. Machinery. a jib crane having a boom hinged near the base of the mast so as to rotate about the mast, for moving a load toward or away from the mast by raising or lowering the boom.

  2. Also called oil derrick. the towerlike framework over an oil well or the like.

  1. a boom for lifting cargo, pivoted at its inner end to a ship's mast or kingpost, and raised and supported at its outer end by topping lifts.

verb (used with or without object)
  1. Machinery. luff.

Origin of derrick

1
Originally a hangman, the gallows, after the surname of a well-known Tyburn hangman, circa 1600

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How to use derrick in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for derrick

derrick

/ (ˈdɛrɪk) /


noun
  1. a simple crane having lifting tackle slung from a boom

  2. the framework erected over an oil well to enable drill tubes to be raised and lowered

verb
  1. to raise or lower the jib of (a crane)

Origin of derrick

1
C17 (in the sense: gallows): from Derrick, name of a celebrated hangman at Tyburn

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