gooseneck

[goos-nek]

noun

a curved object resembling the neck of a goose, often of flexible construction, as in the shaft of a gooseneck lamp.
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.
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.

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.
The Million-Dollar Suitcase
Alice MacGowan
Then the gooseneck on the staysail broke, and as we have no other, we patched it up with ropes.
Through the South Seas with Jack London
Martin Johnson
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

nautical a pivot between the forward end of a boom and a mast, to allow the boom to swing freely
something in the form of a neck of a goose

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