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unreeve

American  
[uhn-reev] / ʌnˈriv /

verb (used with object)

unrove, unreeved, unroven, unreeved, unreeving
  1. Nautical. to withdraw (a rope) from a block, thimble, etc.


verb (used without object)

unrove, unreeved, unroven, unreeved, unreeving
  1. to unreeve a rope.

  2. (of a rope) to become unreeved.

unreeve British  
/ ʌnˈriːv /

verb

  1. nautical to withdraw (a rope) from a block, thimble, etc

"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 unreeve

First recorded in 1590–1600; un- 2 + reeve 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.

See Examples For:

"The rope has swollen, sir, and the pendants won't unreeve," cried the middy in agony.

From A Simpleton by Reade, Charles

Jump down, all of you, and lend a hand and unreeve the halliards from the mast and bind her as tight as you can to the branches; pass the ropes under the thwarts.

From Captain Bayley's Heir: A Tale of the Gold Fields of California by Paget, H. M. (Henry Marriott)

“You can unreeve the tops’l halyards,” replied the captain, quietly.

From Saved by the Lifeboat by Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael)

To unreeve the running part of top-sail sheets, &c., to let them run freely, or for harbour duty.

From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir

Do you, Walter, make a rope fast round the bits; unreeve the fore halliards, they will suit best, and are new and strong.

From Captain Mugford Our Salt and Fresh Water Tutors by Holloway, W. Herbert

Yet it pleased God to allay the fury of the storm, and we unreeved our sheets, tacks, halyards, and other ropes, and made fast our ship to the trees on shore, close by the rocks.

From A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 10 Arranged in systematic order: Forming a complete history of the origin and progress of navigation, discovery, and commerce, by sea and land, from the earliest ages to the present time. by Kerr, Robert

As the Forward began to be weather-worn, the masts were unreeved, for they could no longer rely on the variable wind, and the sails were nearly useless in the winding channels.

From The English at the North Pole Part I of the Adventures of Captain Hatteras by Verne, Jules

The very manner in which the yards were crossed told as plainly of abandonment as unreeved blocks and slackened rigging betokened a careless indifference of her future.

From Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast by Drake, Samuel Adams

In my next attempt I made sure of not coming by a similar accident, so I unreeved the tackling and fitted up larger blocks and ropes. 

From The Coral Island A Tale of the Pacific Ocean by Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael)

Again and again the noose came back unreeved, and again and again the patient boy, with rare strength and skill, flung the ample noose over the slippery spires of ice.

From Adrift in the Ice-Fields by Hall, Charles W.

Then, I set them to work unreeving the gear and making things snug for setting up our jury-masts, of which this is the first—a downright seamanlike piece of work I call it.”

From The White Squall A Story of the Sargasso Sea by Schonberg, J.

Run your boat alongside of the capsized one's mast and strip its sail off, unfastening the throat and peak blocks, unreeving the sheet-rope, and cutting the lashings of the sail to the mast-hoops.

From Harper's Round Table, September 3, 1895 by Various

Also, the lug of the cascable is cut open to admit of the bight of the breeching falling into it, thus obviating the loss of time by unreeving.

From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir

At last they could hold out no longer, and Harry, unreeving the rope, descended to the water and brought up a hatful.

From The Young Berringtons The Boy Explorers by Kingston, William Henry Giles

All this time, I was busily working, unreeving the port buntline.

From The Ghost Pirates by Hodgson, William Hope

We bent all our spare lines; we unrove sheets and halyards; we used our two-inch hawser; we fastened lines part way up the mast, half way up, and everywhere else. 

From A Collection of Stories by London, Jack

Then Kitchell ordered the peak halyards unrove and used as lashings to tie the canvas around the corpse.

From Moran of the Lady Letty by Norris, Frank

The topgallant-masts and royal-masts had been sent down; the studding-sail-booms and gear unrove, to lighten the ship as much as possible of all top hamper.

From The South Sea Whaler by Groome, William H. C.

This coil is the main signal halliards, which I have unrove for the purpose—they are better than new, for they have been stretched and have had the kinks taken out of them.

From The Castaways by Dugdale, Thomas Cantrell

In steam vessels, topgallant masts and rigging ready to be sent down and all unnecessary gear unrove.

From Ordnance Instructions for the United States Navy. 1866. Fourth edition. by United States. Navy Dept. Bureau of Ordnance

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