DERRICK

derrick

(noun) a simple crane having lifting tackle slung from a boom

derrick

(noun) a framework erected over an oil well to allow drill tubes to be raised and lowered

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

derrick (plural derricks)

A device that is used for lifting and moving large objects.

A framework that is constructed over a mine or oil well for the purpose of boring or lowering pipes.

(obsolete) A hangman.

Verb

derrick (third-person singular simple present derricks, present participle derricking, simple past and past participle derricked)

(transitive) To hoist with, or as if with, a derrick.

Proper noun

Derrick

A male given name from Germanic languages, variant of Derek.

Source: Wiktionary


Der"rick, n. Etym: [Orig., a gallows, from a hangman named Derrick. The name is of Dutch origin; D. Diederik, Dierryk, prop. meaning, chief of the people; cf. AS. peódric, E. Theodoric, G. Dietrich. See Dutch, and Rich.]

Definition: A mast, spar, or tall frame, supported at the top by stays or guys, with suitable tackle for hoisting heavy weights, as stones in building. Derrick crane, a combination of the derrick and the crane, having facility for hoisting and also for swinging the load horizontally.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

22 May 2025

BOLLARD

(noun) a strong post (as on a wharf or quay or ship for attaching mooring lines); “the road was closed to vehicular traffic with bollards”


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Coffee Trivia

The earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking as the modern beverage appeared in modern-day Yemen. In the middle of the 15th century in Sufi shrines where coffee seeds were first roasted and brewed for drinking. The Yemenis procured the coffee beans from the Ethiopian Highlands.

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