Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A light tackle having double or single blocks, used to hoist or tighten rigging.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Nautical, a tackle used for various purposes.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Naut.) A peculiar tackle, formed of two or more blocks, or pulleys, the weight being suspended to a hook block in the bight of the running part.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun archaic An arrangement of blocks and pulleys, especially for tightening rigging on a ship.
  • noun archaic Storage of cargo athwartships.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)
  • noun a strong dark English ale
  • noun Welsh film actor who often co-starred with Elizabeth Taylor (1925-1984)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Origin unknown.]

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