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cringle

American  
[kring-guhl] / ˈkrɪŋ gəl /

noun

Nautical.
  1. an eye or grommet formed on the boltrope of a sail to permit the attachment of lines.


cringle British  
/ ˈkrɪŋɡəl /

noun

  1. an eye at the edge of a sail, usually formed from a thimble or grommet

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cringle

First recorded in 1620–30; from Low German kringel, equivalent to kring “circle” + -el diminutive suffix; cognate with Middle English Cringle (in placenames), Old Norse kringla “circle”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

So did we, and, further, ran a line from the cringle in her foresail to the weather rigging.

From The Seiners by Connolly, James B. (James Brendan)

Lower till that rope-loop—on the after-leach—kris—no, it's cringle—till the cringle was down on the boom.

From Captains Courageous by Kipling, Rudyard

The cringle or loop in the leech of a sail.

From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir

On each side of the sail, at the end of each reef band, was a cringle, or eye, in which the reef pendent was fastened.

From Outward Bound Or, Young America Afloat by Optic, Oliver

A tackle with two hooks, one to hitch into a cringle of the main or fore sail in the bolt-rope, and the other to hitch into a strap spliced to the chess-tree.

From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir