See Also: winch(1)(dictionary)
winch(2)(dictionary)
winch(dictionary)
Winch - Sailing(gambling)
winch 1, noun(dictionary)
winch 2, verb(dictionary)

winch(1) (iou)



winch noun. See also WINCE noun2.

A reel; a roller; a pulley. LOE.
b. spec. An angler's reel. M17.
c. Nautical. A small machine used for making ropes and spunyarn. Also, a quantity of yarn so made. M17-E20.
A well-wheel. Also, a well. ME-M17.
A hoisting or hauling apparatus consisting of a horizontal drum or axle round which a rope, cable, or chain passes, turned by a crank or motor. L16.
b. Hist. On the River Thames: a riverside winch used to haul craft through difficult places; a toll levied for the use of this. E17.
The crank of a wheel, shaft, axle, etc. M17.
Dyeing. = WINCE noun2 2. L18.
Comb.: winchman (a) a person who operates a winch; (b) a person lowered by a winch from a helicopter, esp. to rescue people from shipwrecks etc.