From Middle English beleggen, bileggen, from Old English beleċġan (“to cover, invest, surround, afflict, attribute to, charge with, accuse”), From Proto-West Germanic *bilaggjan, equivalent to be- (“about, around”) + lay. Cognate with Dutch beleggen (“to cover, overlay, belay”), German belegen (“to cover, occupy, belay”), Swedish belägga (“to pave”).
Meanings
The securing of a rope to a rock or other sturdy object.
The object to which a rope is secured.
A location at which a climber stops and builds an anchor with which to secure their partner.
But instead of swapping over at the ice axe belay, you carry on in the lead, cutting or kicking steps until you are about twenty feet above. 1967, Anthony Greenbank, Instructions in Mountaineering, page 84:
From Middle English beleggen, bileggen, from Old English beleċġan (“to cover, invest, surround, afflict, attribute to, charge with, accuse”), From Proto-West Germanic *bilaggjan, equivalent to be- (“about, around”) + lay. Cognate with Dutch beleggen (“to cover, overlay, belay”), German belegen (“to cover, occupy, belay”), Swedish belägga (“to pave”).
Meanings
(ambitransitive) To make (a rope) fast by turning it around a fastening point such as a cleat.
(transitive) To handle a climbing rope to prevent (a climber) from falling to the ground.
He would need an experienced partner to belay him on the difficult climbs.
I could only hope the remaining piton would belay his fall.
(transitive) To lay aside; to stop; to cancel.
"We landed in their killbox?" "We did. I am sor... No, belay that. Heads down! Cavalry incoming!" 2015 February 1, Howard Tayler, Schlock Mercenary, archived from the original on 14 May 2024:
Belay that order!
(intransitive) The general command to stop or cease.
(obsolete, transitive) To surround; to environ; to enclose.
(obsolete, transitive) To overlay; to adorn.
jacket […] belayd with silver lace 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 5:
(obsolete, transitive) To besiege; invest; surround.
(obsolete, transitive) To lie in wait for in order to attack; block up or obstruct.
bg стига (general command to stop) · uk відста́вити (general command to stop) · ota مانداللامق (to make fast by turning around a fastening point) · uk страхува́ти (to handle a climbing rope) · uk підстрахо́вувати (to handle a climbing rope) · bg притягам (to make fast by turning around a fastening point) · bg навивам (to make fast by turning around a fastening point) · ru страхова́ть (to handle a climbing rope) · fi kiinnittää (to make fast by turning around a fastening point) · de beenden (general command to stop) · cs připevnit (to make fast by turning around a fastening point) · it dare volta (to make fast by turning around a fastening point) · fr assurer (to handle a climbing rope) · nl zekeren (to handle a climbing rope) · es anular (general command to stop) · es anclar (to make fast by turning around a fastening point) · es amarrar (to make fast by turning around a fastening point) · ru подстрахова́ть (to handle a climbing rope) · sv säkra (to handle a climbing rope) · uk закріпи́ти (to make fast by turning around a fastening point) · es cancelar (general command to stop) · bg стоп (general command to stop) · it assicurare (to handle a climbing rope) · cs jistit (to handle a climbing rope) · it assicurare (to make fast by turning around a fastening point) · de sichern (to handle a climbing rope) · es asegurar (to handle a climbing rope) · ru подстрахо́вывать (to handle a climbing rope) · ru отставить (general command to stop)
belay en · VERB · etymology 2
Pronunciation
/bɪˈleɪ/
Meanings
(form-of, past) simple past of belie (“encompass”)