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kedge

[kej]Nautical
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR kedge ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), kedged, kedg·ing.

to warp or pull (a ship) along by hauling on the cable of an anchor carried out from the ship and dropped.

verb (used without object), kedged, kedg·ing.

(of a ship) to move by being kedged.

noun

Also called kedge anchor. a small anchor used in kedging.

Origin of kedge

1475–85; akin to Middle English caggen to fasten; see cadge1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for kedge

mainstay, grip, hold, defense, safeguard, support, comfort, stay, hook, fastener, protection, bower, ballast, security, foothold, pillar, mooring, staff, grapnel

Examples from the Web for kedge

Historical Examples of kedge

  • "Kedge is too smart to take it all to himself," commented Mr. Martin.

  • Do you see the pointed rock a little to the right of the spot where the kedge is placed?

    Homeward Bound

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • "Stand by to let go the kedge," Augustin cried, eyeing them gloomily.

    The Wild Geese

    Stanley John Weyman

  • It was the kedge which had been holding us, to the extent of its small ability.

    From a Cornish Window

    Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

  • It was necessary to get the long-boat into the water to carry out the kedge.

    In the Wilds of Africa

    W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for kedge

kedge

verb

to draw (a vessel) along by hauling in on the cable of a light anchor that has been dropped at some distance from it, or (of a vessel) to be drawn in this fashion

noun

a light anchor, used esp for kedging

Word Origin for kedge

C15: from caggen to fasten
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