Vang

From Middle English vangen, southern variant of fangen ("to seize, catch"), from Old English fōn ("to take, grasp, seize, catch, capture, make prisoner, receive, accept, assume, undertake, meet with, encounter"), and Old Norse fanga ("to fetch, capture"), both from Proto-Germanic *fanhaną, *fangōną ("to catch, capture"), from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂ḱ- ("to fasten, place"). Cognate with West Frisian fange ("to catch"), Dutch vangen ("to catch"), German fangen ("to catch"), Danish fange ("to catch"). More at fang.

Full definition of vang

Verb

1. (dialectal or obsolete) To take; undertake for.
2. (dialectal, as a godparent) To undertake for at the Font; be godfather or godmother to.

From Dutch vangen ("to catch").

Noun

1. (nautical) A boom vang, a strap or line which exerts downward pressure on the boom near where it joins the mast of a fore-and-aft rigged sailboat.
2. (nautical) A line extended down from the end of a yard or a gaff, used to regulate its position

Synonyms

• kicking strap