Synonyms:
winch, windlass
Meaning: lifting device consisting of a horizontal cylinder turned by a crank on which a cable or rope winds
Usage examples
The bucket hung at the windlass.
'Ah!' said Puck, squatted by the windlass.
The signal was given and the windlass stopped, with abundant rope to spare.
"Our bit of a windlass and the mast breaks the force of it before it reaches the skylight.
The rope came in tight and strained; and ring after ring was coiled upon the barrel of the windlass, and all eyes were fastened on the pit.
It was five o’clock in the afternoon of the bright autumnal Sunday, before a candle was sent down to try the air, while three or four rough faces stood crowded close together, attentively watching it: the man at the windlass lowering as they were told.