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

2 May 2025

MINESHAFT

(noun) excavation consisting of a vertical or sloping passageway for finding or mining ore or for ventilating a mine


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Coffee Trivia

Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.

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