windlass

American

[wind-luhs] / ˈwɪnd ləs /

noun

a device for raising or hauling objects, usually consisting of a horizontal cylinder or barrel turned by a crank, lever, motor, or the like, upon which a cable, rope, or chain winds, the outer end of the cable being attached directly or indirectly to the weight to be raised or the thing to be hauled or pulled; winch.

verb (used with object)

to raise, haul, or move (a load) by means of a windlass.

windlass British

/ ˈwɪndləs /

noun

a machine for raising weights by winding a rope or chain upon a barrel or drum driven by a crank, motor, 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

verb

(tr) to raise or haul (a weight, etc) by means of a windlass

"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

Other Word Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of windlass

1350–1400; Middle English wind ( e ) las < Old Norse vindāss, equivalent to vinda to wind ² + āss beam

Vocabulary lists containing windlass

"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 2

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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.

Early versions consisted of a strip of cloth and a stick, which was used as a windlass.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 1, 2019

As he cranked the windlass, Neal asked, “How do we know when to stop?”

From The New Yorker • Apr. 1, 2019

Up here on that bow, this is the anchor windlass.

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2017

In one case, a broken gear on its anchor windlass was so old that a new part had to be custom built, causing a six-week delay.

From Reuters • Oct. 8, 2012

Up ahead, in a clear area near the summit of the hill, she saw the source of the thin smoke—a waist-high cylinder of stone with a wooden windlass and a dangling bucket.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

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