Grapnel Definition

grăpnəl
noun
A small anchor with usually four or five curved, pointed arms, used for anchoring a small boat, dragging the bottom for objects, or grasping and holding fast to something.
Webster's New World
(nautical) A grappling iron.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:

Other Word Forms of Grapnel

Noun

Singular:
grapnel
Plural:
grapnels

Origin of Grapnel

  • Middle English grapenel probably ultimately from Old French grapin hook diminutive of grape grape

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Anglo-Norman, from Old French grapil, grapin (French grappin).

    From Wiktionary

Grapnel Sentence Examples

  • Using these buoys to guide the direction of tow, a grapnel, a species of fivepronged anchor, attached to a strong compound rope formed of strands of steel and manila, is lowered to the bottom and dragged at a slow speed, as it were ploughing a furrow in the sea bottom, in a line at right angles to the cable route, until the behaviour of the dynamometer shows that the cable is hooked.

  • The ship is then stopped, and the cable gradually hove up towards the surface; but in deep water, unless it has been caught near a loose end, the cable will break on the grapnel before it reaches the surface, as the catenary strain on the bight will be greater than it will stand.

  • Claude Hawkings ("Erin"), who led the way, made a grapnel fast and was shot down on the mole.

  • Bradford ("Orion") got to the top of a derrick with a grapnel, leapt on to the mole, secured it and fell back shot into the water.

  • One pair had dived and, as agreed, released the grapnel from the wreck so that it could be recovered.

Find Similar Words

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Words Starting With

GGRGRA

Words Ending With

LELNEL

Unscrambles

grapnel

Words Starting With G and Ending With L

Starts With G & Ends With LStarts With GR & Ends With LStarts With G & Ends With EL

Word Length

7 Letter Words7 Letter Words Starting With G7 Letter Words Ending With L