whipcord

[ hwip-kawrd, wip- ]

/ ˈʰwɪpˌkɔrd, ˈwɪp- /

noun

a cotton, woolen, or worsted fabric with a steep, diagonally ribbed surface.

a strong, hard-twisted cord, sometimes used for the lashes of whips.

a cord made from the intestines of animals; catgut.

Nearby words

whip-cracker, whip-round, whip-tailed, whip-tailed ray, whipbird, whipcord, whiplash, whiplash injury, whipped, whipper-in, whippersnapper

Origin of whipcord

First recorded in 1275–1325, whipcord is from the Middle English word wyppe-cord. See whip, cord

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for whipcord

After I go up and close the trap, do you creep along by the whipcord to where the nail is driven in.
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe|Edgar Allan Poe
He was strong, his muscles were like whipcord, and his condition was perfect.
The Tempting of Tavernake|E. Phillips Oppenheim
He sucked it in, and the tensions that kept his body all steel springs and whipcord relaxed a little.
Planet of the Gods|Robert Moore Williams
These things take it out of one, unless one is made of cast-iron like Crayford, or steel like Mulworth, or whipcord like Jimber.
The Way of Ambition|Robert Hichens

The veins stood out on his damp forehead like whipcord, but he returned their fierce gaze with a dogged firmness.
Faithful Margaret|Annie Ashmore

British Dictionary definitions for whipcord

whipcord

/ (ˈwɪpˌkɔːd) /

noun

a strong worsted or cotton fabric with a diagonally ribbed surface

a closely twisted hard cord used for the lashes of whips, 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