Capstan
Origin
From French cabestan, of uncertain origin.
Full definition of capstan
Noun
capstan
(plural capstans)- (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.
- 2013, Henry Petroski, Geothermal Energy, Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame. With more settled people, animals were harnessed to capstans or caged in treadmills to turn grist into meal.
- (electronics) A rotating spindle used to move recording tape through the mechanism of a tape recorder.
Derived terms
- capstan bar - one of the long bars or levers by which the capstan is worked; a handspike.
- pawl the capstan - to drop the pawls so that they will catch in the notches of the pawl ring, and prevent the capstan from turning back.
- rig the capstan - to prepare the for use, by putting the bars in the sockets.
- surge the capstan - to slack the tension of the rope or cable wound around it.