GRAPPLINGS

Noun

grapplings

plural of grappling

Source: Wiktionary


GRAPPLING

Grap"pling, n.

1. A laying fast ho1d of; also, that by which anything is seized and held, a grapnel.

2. A grapple; a struggle. A match for yards in fight, in grappling for the bear. Dryden. Grappling iron, a hooked iron used for grappling and holding fast a vessel or other object.

– Grappling tongs, broad-mouthed tongs for gathering oysters.

GRAPPLE

Grap"ple, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Grappled; p. pr. & vb. n. Grappling.] Etym: [F. grappiller, OF. graypil the grapple of a ship, fr. graper to pluck, prop., to seize, clutch; of German origin. See Grape.]

1. To seize; to lay fast hold of; to attack at close quarters: as, to grapple an antagonist.

2. To fasten, as with a grapple; to fix; to join indissolubly. The gallies were grappled to the Centurion. Hakluyt. Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel. Shak.

Grap"ple, v. i.

Definition: To use a grapple; to contend in close fight; to attach one's self as if by a grapple, as in wrestling; to close; to seize one another. To grapple with, to enter into contest with, resolutely and courageously. And in my standard bear the arms of York, To grapple with the house of Lancaster. Shak.

Grap"ple, n. Etym: [See Grapple, v. t., and cf. Crapple.]

1. A seizing or seizure; close hug in contest; the wrestler's hold. Milton.

2. (a) An instrument, usually with hinged claws, for seizing and holding fast to an object; a grab. (b) (Naut.)

Definition: A grappling iron. The iron hooks and grapples keen. Spenser. Grapple plant (Bot.), a South African herb (Herpagophytum leptocarpum) having the woody fruits armed with long hooked or barbed thorns by which they adhere to cattle, causing intense annoyance.

– Grapple shot (Life-saving Service), a projectile, to which are attached hinged claws to catch in a ship's rigging or to hold in the ground; -- called also anchor shot.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

27 November 2024

NAUSEATING

(adjective) causing or able to cause nausea; “a nauseating smell”; “nauseous offal”; “a sickening stench”


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Coffee Trivia

Contrary to popular belief, coffee beans are not technically beans. They are referred to as such because of their resemblance to legumes. A coffee bean is a seed of the Coffea plant and the source for coffee. It is the pit inside the red or purple fruit, often referred to as a cherry. Just like ordinary cherries, the coffee fruit is also a so-called stone fruit.

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