Dictionary Home »
Webster's New World College Dictionary » windlass
windlass
windlass definition
wind·lass (wind′ləs)
noun
a winch, esp. a simple one for lifting an anchor, a bucket in a well, etc.
Etymology: ME wyndlas, altered (infl. by -wyndel, a winding device < winden, wind) < windas, windlass < ON vindass < vinda, to wind + ass, a beam
transitive verb, intransitive verb
to hoist, lower, or haul with a windlass
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Comments
Improve this definition.
Browse dictionary definitions near windlass
Share on Facebook