windlass

[ 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.

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Origin of windlass

1350–1400; Middle English wind(e)las<Old Norse vindāss, equivalent to vinda to wind2 + āss beam

Words nearby windlass

winding-up, wind instrument, wind instruments, Wind in the Willows, windjammer, windlass, windle, windless, windlestraw, wind machine, windmill
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British Dictionary definitions for windlass

windlass
/ (ˈwɪndləs) /

noun

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

verb

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

Word Origin for windlass

C14: from Old Norse vindáss, from vinda to wind ² + ass pole; related to Old French guindas, Middle Low German, Dutch windas
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