gooseneck

[ goos-nek ]

/ ˈgusˌnɛk /

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.

Nearby words

goosefoot family, goosegog, goosegrass, gooseherd, goosen, gooseneck, gooseneck lamp, goosewing, goosewinged, goossens, goosy

Origin of gooseneck

First recorded in 1680–90; goose + neck

Related forms

goose·necked, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for gooseneck

Next, the gooseneck of the truss, on which it pivoted, smashed away.
The Mutiny of the Elsinore|Jack London
The kerosene can I set over the lamp, and to its nose I affixed a snout, and into the snout the bone that was like a gooseneck.
The Faith of Men|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

British Dictionary definitions for gooseneck

gooseneck

/ (ˈɡuːsˌnɛk) /

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 Forms

goosenecked, 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