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gooseneck

[goos-nek]
noun
  1. a curved object resembling the neck of a goose, often of flexible construction, as in the shaft of a gooseneck lamp.
  2. Nautical. a curved piece at the foot of a boom, attached to a mast by a vertical pivot and itself having a horizontal pivot so that the boom can be pointed in a wide angle vertically or horizontally.
  3. Carpentry. a vertical continuation of the handrail of a flight of stairs, terminating in a short horizontal part on the top of a newel post.
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Origin of gooseneck

First recorded in 1680–90; goose + neck
Related formsgoose·necked, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for gooseneck

Historical Examples of gooseneck

  • Next, the gooseneck of the truss, on which it pivoted, smashed away.

    The Mutiny of the Elsinore

    Jack London

  • Brad reached out to extend the gooseneck of the mike toward him.

    Spillthrough

    Daniel F. Galouye

  • The blinds were down, only the table lamps on, and a gooseneck over where the men counted.

  • Then the gooseneck on the staysail broke, and as we have no other, we patched it up with ropes.

  • Then a series of choking gurgles and a rush of air came through the gooseneck.

    Double Challenge

    James Arthur Kjelgaard

British Dictionary definitions for gooseneck

gooseneck

noun
  1. nautical a pivot between the forward end of a boom and a mast, to allow the boom to swing freely
  2. something in the form of a neck of a goose
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Derived Formsgoosenecked, adjective
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