deadeye

[ ded-ahy ]
See synonyms for deadeye on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural dead·eyes.
  1. Nautical. either of a pair of disks of hardwood having holes through which a lanyard is rove: used to tighten shrouds and stays.

  2. an expert marksman.

Origin of deadeye

1
1740–50; dead + eye; as nautical term, probably ellipsis from deadman's eye,Middle English dedmaneseye deadeye

Words Nearby deadeye

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use deadeye in a sentence

  • Dick deadeye was in a very melancholy state of mind during this voyage.

    Albania | E. F. Knight

British Dictionary definitions for deadeye

deadeye

/ (ˈdɛdˌaɪ) /


noun
  1. nautical either of a pair of disclike wooden blocks, supported by straps in grooves around them, between which a line is rove so as to draw them together to tighten a shroud: Compare bull's-eye (def. 9)

  2. mainly US informal an expert marksman

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