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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.

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