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rowlock

American  
[roh-lok, rol-uhk, ruhl-] / ˈroʊˌlɒk, ˈrɒl ək, ˈrʌl- /

noun

  1. Architecture. one of several concentric rings of masonry forming an arch.

  2. a brick laid on edge, especially as a header.

  3. Chiefly British. oarlock.

rowlock British  
/ ˈrɒlək /

noun

  1. Usual US and Canadian word: oarlock.  a swivelling device attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds an oar in place and acts as a fulcrum during rowing

"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 rowlock

1740–50; variant of oarlock; see row 2

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.

Portuguese Rowlock From the sea, the Portuguese settlement looks like a series of promontories, each crowned by a fort, with the river Mandovi in the centre, running up into the interior between richly wooded banks.

From The Last Voyage to India and Australia, in the 'Sunbeam' by Pritchett, R. T. (Robert Taylor)

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.