CAPSTAN

capstan

(noun) a windlass rotated in a horizontal plane around a vertical axis; used on ships for weighing anchor or raising heavy sails

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

capstan (plural capstans)

(nautical) A vertical cylindrical machine that revolves on a spindle, used to apply force to ropes, cables, etc. It is typically surmounted by a drumhead with sockets for levers used to turn it.

(electronics) A rotating spindle used to move recording tape through the mechanism of a tape recorder.

Anagrams

• cat naps, cat-naps, catnaps

Source: Wiktionary

Cap"stan, n. Etym: [F. cabestan, fr. Sp. cabestrante, cabrestante, fr. cabestrar to bind with a halter, fr. cabestrohalter, fr. L. capistrum halter, fr. capere to hold (see Capacious); or perh. the Spanish is fr. L. caper goat + stans, p. pr. of stare to stand; cf. F. chèvre she-goat, also a machine for raising heavy weights.]

Definition: A vertical cleated drum or cylinder, revolving on an upright spindle, and surmounted by a drumhead with sockets for bars or levers. It is much used, especially on shipboard, for moving or raising heavy weights or exerting great power by traction upon a rope or cable, passing around the drum. It is operated either by steam power or by a number of men walking around the capstan, each pushing on the end of a lever fixed in its socket. [Sometimes spelt Capstern, but improperly.] Capstan bar, one of the long bars or levers by which the capstan is worked; a handspike..

– To pawl the capstan, to drop the pawls so that they will catch in the notches of the pawl ring, and prevent the capstan from turning back.

– To rig the capstan, to prepare the for use, by putting the bars in the sockets.

– To surge the capstan, to slack the tension of the rope or cable wound around it.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition