capstan

American  

[kap-stuhn, -stan] / ˈkæp stən, -stæn /

noun

1. any of various windlasses, rotated in a horizontal plane by hand or machinery, for winding in ropes, cables, etc.

2. a rotating spindle or shaft, powered by an electric motor, that transports magnetic tape past the heads of a tape recorder at a constant speed.

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capstan British  

/ ˈkæpstən /

noun

1. a machine with a drum that rotates round a vertical spindle and is turned by a motor or lever, used for hauling in heavy ropes, etc

2. any similar device, such as the rotating shaft in a tape recorder that pulls the tape past the head

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Etymology

Origin of capstan

1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French cabestan ( t ) < Old Provençal cabestan, variant of cabestran, presumably present participle of *cabest ( r ) ar, a verbal derivative of cabestre halter < Latin capistrum

Example Sentences

Stevenson’s camera gets into the machines — there’s a good deal of hot capstan, video-head and pinch-roller action.

From New York Times • Sep. 10, 2020

Oxen will be brought in to secure the bridge using a capstan, a vertical-axle rotating machine that applies force to ropes and is used to raise sails.

From Washington Times • Apr. 26, 2015

But this time, as the men throw their weight against the capstan arm, the rope tightens.

From Time Magazine Archive

Babcock fiddles with pulleys, then applies a greasing of Ivory soap where rope meets capstan.

From Time Magazine Archive

His own daemon, a seagull, had her head tucked under her wing on the capstan.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman