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Definition of Capstan
1. Noun. A windlass rotated in a horizontal plane around a vertical axis; used on ships for weighing anchor or raising heavy sails.
Definition of Capstan
1. n. A vertical cleated drum or cylinder, revolving on an upright spindle, and surmounted by a drumhead with sockets for bars or levers. It is much used, especially on shipboard, for moving or raising heavy weights or exerting great power by traction upon a rope or cable, passing around the drum. It is operated either by steam power or by a number of men walking around the capstan, each pushing on the end of a lever fixed in its socket.
Definition of Capstan
1. Noun. (nautical) A vertical cleated drum or cylinder, revolving on an upright spindle, and surmounted by a drumhead with sockets for bars or levers. It is much used, especially on shipboard, for moving or raising heavy weights or exerting great power by traction upon a rope or cable, passing around the drum. It is operated either by steam power or by a number of men walking around the capstan, each pushing on the end of a lever fixed in its socket. ¹
2. Noun. (electronics) A rotating spindle used to move recording tape through the mechanism of a tape recorder. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Capstan
1. a machine used to hoist weights [n -S]
Lexicographical Neighbors of Capstan
Literary usage of Capstan
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. The Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General by Thomas Spencer Baynes (1833)
"capstan, an appliance used on board ship and elsewhere for heaving up the anchor
... Vertical Section of capstan. iron capstans as used in the Royal Navy. ..."
2. The Mechanical Principles of Engineering and Architecture by Henry Moseley, Dennis Hart Mahan (1875)
"The piece CC, into the upper portion of which are fitted the moveable arms of
the capstan, turns upon the shaft AC, resting its weight upon the crown of the ..."
3. A Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry and the Arts by William Nicholson (1808)
"SIR, I Request vou will lay before the Society of Arts, &c. the capstan that
model ot a capstan contrived by me, which works without q,,,r,. [|,P nies- . ..."
4. Descriptions of Occupations by United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Employment Service (1918)
"Description: The duty of the capstan or drum and cable man is to operate the
controlling devices of a capstan or drum and cable for the skidding of logs, ..."
5. Excavating Machinery by Allen Boyer McDaniel (1913)
"A capstan plow outfit consists of the plow and two capstans, ... Six or eight
men and 16 to 18 horses are used to operate a capstan plow outfit. 25. ..."
6. Hydraulic Power and Hydraulic Machinery by Henry Robinson (1904)
"The capstan is so balanced on the trunnions that it can be easily turned over by
... The capstan can be worked in any position, so that its action can be ..."
Other Resources:
