pin rail

American

noun

Theater. a rail on a fly gallery, wall, etc., holding two rows of pins or cleats for securing lines attached to scenery.
Nautical. a strong rail at the side of the deck of a vessel, for holding the pins to which some of the running rigging is belayed.

pin rail British

noun

nautical a strong wooden rail or bar containing holes for belaying pins to which lines are fastened on sailing vessels Compare fife rail

"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

Etymology

Origin of pin rail

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Rope is looped around metal dowels called belaying pins that sit in a horizontal steel bar called a pin rail.

From Washington Post • Jun. 26, 2017

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023