capstan en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈkæp.stən/
Etymology
Borrowed into Middle English from either Old French cabestan, from Old Occitan cabestan, from cabestre (“pulley cord”) or from Spanish cabestran, both of which derive from Latin capistrum (“halter”), from capiō (“take hold of”).
Meanings
-
(especially) A vertical cylindrical machine that revolves on a spindle, typically surmounted by a drumhead with sockets for levers for turning it; used to apply force to cables, ropes, etc.
to rig the capstan
We toiled over the capstan, and late in the afternoon slipped out of the harbour.
1951, W. I. B. Crealock, Vagabonding Under Sail, Hastings House (New York), page 211:"Man the capstan! Blood and thunder!—jump!"—was the next command, and the crew sprang for the handspikes.
1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:to pawl the capstan
Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame. With more settled people, animals were harnessed to capstans or caged in treadmills to turn grist into meal.
2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, “Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:to surge the capstan
- A rotating spindle used to move recording tape through the mechanism of a tape recorder.
-
a screw on the rising side of a piano key, which serves the function of lifting the wippen when the key is depressed
The upward force of the capstan causes the wippen to rise, thrusting the jack upward into another component called the “knuckle” that is fixed to one end of the hammer shank.
(Can we date this quote?), Kawai:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| capstorm | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| capstans | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| capstern | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic |
Deriveds
capstan effect · jeer capstan · capstan bar · capstan screw · capstanman
Hyponyms
Relateds
Translations (65)
es cabrestante (cylindrical machine) · pl kabestan (cylindrical machine) · it cabestano (cylindrical machine) · ota ارغات (cylindrical machine) · de Ankerspill (cylindrical machine) · de Rollenantrieb (cylindrical machine) · de Antriebsrolle (part of a tape recorder) · de Winde (cylindrical machine) · da spil (cylindrical machine) · nb forhalingsvinsj (cylindrical machine) · hi कैप्सटन (part of a tape recorder) · es argue (disused) (cylindrical machine) · fi vorokki (cylindrical machine) · hi हवीत (cylindrical machine) · de Capstan (cylindrical machine) · nrf vitheveau (cylindrical machine) · ru кабеста́н (cylindrical machine) · de Spill (cylindrical machine) · la sucula (cylindrical machine) · de Ankerwinde (cylindrical machine) · de Gangspill (cylindrical machine) · nb gangspill (cylindrical machine) · es argüe (disused) (cylindrical machine) · fi vetoakseli (part of a tape recorder) · fi ankkuripeli (cylindrical machine) · de Bandantriebsrolle (part of a tape recorder) · nb capstan (cylindrical machine) · uk кабеста́н (cylindrical machine) · sv ankarspel (cylindrical machine) · de Tonwelle (part of a tape recorder) · sv kapstan (part of a tape recorder) · sv gångspel (cylindrical machine) · ko 캡스턴 (cylindrical machine) · grc ὁλκός (cylindrical machine) · nl kaapstander (cylindrical machine) · ota بوجرغات (cylindrical machine) · ca cabrestant (cylindrical machine) · fr cabestan (cylindrical machine) · sv vindspel (cylindrical machine) · cmn 絞盤 /绞盘 (cylindrical machine) · es cabestrante (cylindrical machine) · da kapstanaksel (part of a tape recorder) · ro cabestan (cylindrical machine) · pt cabrestante (cylindrical machine) · fr cabestan (part of a tape recorder) · ru во́рот (cylindrical machine) · sv ankarbult (cylindrical machine) · mi huritaura (cylindrical machine) · nrf capeste (cylindrical machine) · hi ढोल चर्ख़ी (cylindrical machine) · hi कैप्सटन (cylindrical machine) · ja キャプスタン (cylindrical machine) · fi vintturi (cylindrical machine) · nn gangspel (cylindrical machine) · grc ἀνέμη (cylindrical machine) · da gangspil (cylindrical machine) · ru nautical шпиль (cylindrical machine) · nl toonas (part of a tape recorder) · he כַּנָּן (cylindrical machine) · ko 캡스턴 (part of a tape recorder) · fi käyntikela (cylindrical machine) · nn forhalingsvinsj (cylindrical machine) · ota چقرق (cylindrical machine) · de Capstan (part of a tape recorder) · sv kapstanaxel (part of a tape recorder)