ratline

American  

[rat-lin] / ˈræt lɪn /

Or ratlin

noun

Nautical.

1. any of the small ropes or lines that traverse the shrouds horizontally and serve as steps for going aloft.

2. Also ratline stuff three-stranded, right-laid, tarred hemp stuff of from 6 to 24 threads, used for ratlines, lashings, etc.

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ratline British  

/ ˈrætlɪn /

noun

1. nautical any of a series of light lines tied across the shrouds of a sailing vessel for climbing aloft

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Etymology

Origin of ratline

First recorded in 1475–85; earlier ratling, radelyng < ?

Example Sentences

With the exception of his ratline in April, and an attack on a Rutland gym trying to eke out an existence in May, we’d say the Governor has operated admiringly within these margins.

From Washington Times • Dec. 4, 2020

He led me down a ratline that they had built by knocking holes in walls.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 18, 2016

As I stand on deck, not knowing what to do, I watch the sails shred then heal, shred then heal above me, the scars on the fabric becoming as thick as the ratline ropes.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

His wooden leg was so constructed, with iron machinery, at the extremity, that he could stand on a ratline or a hawse without difficulty.

From Jack in the Forecastle or, Incidents in the Early Life of Hawser Martingale by Sleeper, John Sherburne

Then, slightly raising my voice, I called— “Collins, bring your party into this room; and do not forget to bring along that length of ratline that I told you to have ready.”

From A Middy of the Slave Squadron A West African Story by Mays, D.L.