Dictionary

vang en · VERB · etymology 1

Etymology

From Middle English vangen, southern variant of fangen (“to seize, catch”), from Old English fōn (“to take, grasp, seize, catch, capture, make prisoner, receive, accept, assume, undertake, meet with, encounter”), and Old Norse fanga (“to fetch, capture”), both from Proto-Germanic *fanhaną, *fangōną (“to catch, capture”), from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂ḱ- (“to fasten, place”). Cognate with West Frisian fange (“to catch”), Dutch vangen (“to catch”), German fangen (“to catch”), Danish fange (“to catch”). More at fang.

Meanings

1. (dialectal, obsolete) To take; undertake for.
2. (as a godparent, dialectal) To undertake for at the baptismal font; be godfather or godmother to.

Forms

vang en · NOUN · etymology 2

Etymology

From Dutch vang, from vangen (“to catch”), under influence of earlier English fang. Ultimately a doublet of Etymology 1 above.

Meanings

1. A line extended down from the end of a gaff to regulate its position.
   • Having the vang and the Cunningham in the right spot can be beneficial. 2013, Frank Bethwaite, Fast Handling Technique, page 141:

Forms

Hyponyms

boom vang

Synonyms

fang

Translations (2)

fi ahdin (line down from the end of a gaff) · he גִּיד (line down from the end of a gaff)

vang en · VERB · etymology 2

Etymology

From Dutch vang, from vangen (“to catch”), under influence of earlier English fang. Ultimately a doublet of Etymology 1 above.

Meanings

1. To flatten the sail and regulate its position with such a line.
   • On a catamaran, the curved track has enough beam to allow the mainsheet to vang the boom throughout its entire arc. 1998 February, Yachting, page 62:
   • The Patented Hoyt Jib Boom adds to offwind speed by vanging the jib and acting as a built in whisker pole. 1999 January, Cruising World, volume 25, number 1, page 80:
   • We needed to vang the main, pull it down to flatten it, and make it more efficient. 2018, Henry R. Danielson, Island People: Finding Our Way:

Forms