Meaning & use
Windlass
Last updated
A mechanical device used for hauling or hoisting, typically a horizontal cylinder turned by a crank to wind in a rope or cable.
See it in a sentence
Sailors used the windlass to raise the ship's heavy anchor.
The old well had a wooden windlass for drawing up buckets of water.
A note on using this word
Commonly found on sailing ships for raising anchors, and on wells for lifting buckets.
Words with a similar meaning
winchhoist
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