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cathead

American

[kat-hed] / ˈkætˌhɛd /

noun

Nautical.

a projecting timber or metal beam to which an anchor is hoisted and secured.

cathead British

/ ˈkætˌhɛd /

noun

a fitting at the bow of a vessel for securing the anchor when raised

"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 cathead

First recorded in 1620–30; cat ( def. ) + head

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.

Watson carried the deep-sea lead forward, and the other men followed, each with fakes of the line coiled in his hand—Collins on the cathead, Sandy in the fore chains, and Jensen in the main chains.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

Her cathead biscuits were at least three inches in diameter and two inches thick.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

He stood on the great anchor cathead, his shirt open to the middle, and his face shining like the sun.

From Rewards and Fairies by Kipling, Rudyard

The whale crashed into the bows of the Essex, staving them completely in directly under the cathead.

From Bark Kathleen Sunk By A Whale by Jenkins, Thomas H.

I was straining my sight near the cathead on one side, and the captain of the forecastle on the other, but we could discover nothing in the nearly palpable obscure.

From Rattlin the Reefer by Marryat, Frederick

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023