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derrick definition

der·rick (der′ik)

noun

  1. a large apparatus for lifting and moving heavy objects: it consists of a long beam pivoted at the base of a vertical, stationary beam and moved by ropes running on pulleys
  2. ☆ a tall, tapering framework, as over an oil well, to support drilling machinery, etc.

Etymology: after Thos. Derrick, London hangman of the early 17th c.: first applied to a gallows

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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