Dictionary

dragline en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈdɹæɡlaɪn/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From drag + line.

Meanings

1. A cable, cord, or rope used to drag an object; specifically, the line of a dragline excavator that drags the bucket.
   • Spiders rely on silk "draglines" to become airborne and for subsequent transport. Numerical simulations […] suggest that these draglines are flexible and can become contorted by both stretching and twisting. These flexible, extendible draglines enable the spiders to rise in the air column and follow the flow of air, promoting relatively long-distance travel. 2014, Hugh Dingle, “Migration, Winds, and Currents”, in Migration: The Biology of Life on the Move, 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN:
   • Drainboard had been terrified by a narrow escape from the jumping spider's dragline. He had twisted it twice around her cerci and told her, "Your new name is Supper, for that's what you will be in a few hours. My supper." 1990, Mary James [pseudonym; Marijane Meaker], chapter 10, in Shoebag (An Apple Paperback), New York, N.Y.: Scholastic, →ISBN, page 72:
   • A dragline excavator has a large cutting bucket suspended from the end of a boom. The operator first lowers the bucket mouth down where earth is to be removed, then a second cable—the dragline—pulls the bucket across the surface. The weight of the bucket and the pull of the dragline make a blade at the mouth of the bucket dig into the topsoil, filling the bucket as it moves. When the bucket is full, its contents are tipped by lifting and inverting the bucket over a waiting dump truck. 2003, “Earthmoving Machinery”, in Wendy Horobin, editor, How It Works: Science and Technology, 3rd edition, volume 5, Tarrytown, N.Y.: Marshall Cavendish, →ISBN, page 703, column 2:
   • Everything about the Eagle [a hot-air balloon] spoke of professionalism. For extra power it had three sails, comprising 818 square feet of silk, which hung like aprons from its midriff. Its steering was provided by three drag-lines, measuring 3,300 feet in total but of unequal lengths to prevent them tangling. […] Ingeniously, the drag-lines were also to act as ballast, Andrée's theory being that if the balloon lost height a greater length of rope would rest on the ground, thus increasing its buoyancy. 2001, Fergus Fleming, “The Flight of the Eagle”, in Ninety Degrees North: The Quest for the North Pole, London: Granta Books, →ISBN; 1st Grove Press paperback edition, New York, N.Y.: Grove Press, 2002, →ISBN:
   • The use of a head collar or harness along with a dragline allows easy access to the pet and rapid interruption of the behavior sequence and redirection of the pet to a more appropriate activity such as attention directed toward toys or food puzzles. 2014 May, Valarie V. Tynes, Leslie Sinn, “Abnormal Repetitive Behaviors in Dogs and Cats: A Guide for Practitioners”, in Gary M. Landsberg, Valarie V. Tynes, editors, Behavior: A Guide for Practitioners (Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice; volume 44, number 3), Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 557:
   • De Gier had rowed out to where the yacht was anchored, fished up the anchor with a dragline, ascertained that the anchor cable had been cut. 1994, Janwillem van de Wetering, chapter 19, in Just a Corpse at Twilight (A Grijpstra and De Gier Investigation), New York, N.Y.: Soho Press, →ISBN:
2. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis) Ellipsis of dragline excavator.
   alt of dragline excavator
   • Much of this material was taken from land adjoining the railway by draglines and bulldozers. 1949 January and February, “Notes and News: Replacement of Bridges”, in Railway Magazine, page 64:
   • In smaller lagoons (with radius less than about 30 feet), a backhoe is more efficient, while larger lagoons may require the use of a clamshell or a dragline for mixing. 1994, Hari D. Sharma, Sangeeta P. Lewis, “Sludge Solidification and Stabilization”, in Waste Containment Systems, Waste Stabilization, and Landfills: Design and Evaluation, New York, N.Y.: Wiley-Interscience, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, section 6.5.3 (Full-scale Treatment Operations), page 309:
   • The drainage ditches were constructed with a dragline and were of sufficient width so that it was considered unnecessary to deepen or clear them during the course of the study. 1973 March, Cortland E. Young, Jr.; R. H. Brendemuehl, “Methods”, in Response of Slash Pine to Drainage and Rainfall (USDA Forest Service Research Note; SE-186), Ashevill, N.C.: Southeastern Forest Experiment Station, United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, →OCLC, page 3:
3. A strong supporting line of silk produced by a spider.

Forms

Translations (1)

fr dragline (ellipsis of dragline excavator — see also dragline excavator)