WINCH
What does "WINCH" mean?
A machine that hauls or lifts loads by winding rope or cable around a rotating drum.
Meanings
- A hauling or lifting device with a drum around which rope or chain is wound by a crank or motor. They used a winch to drag the stuck truck out of the mud.
- To haul or lift something using such a device. The crew winched the lifeboat back up to the deck.
Did you know?
- A 'winch' and a 'wink' are distant cousins: both descend from a Germanic root meaning 'to bend or turn', one a turning drum, the other a turning eyelid.
Word origin
From Old English 'wince' meaning 'reel, pulley', from the Proto-Germanic root 'winkjan' meaning 'to bend, turn, wink' - the same root behind 'wink', reflecting the turning motion.
Remember it
WINCH = WIND + the CH of CHain: you WIND the CHain to pull the load.
A little poem
Inch by groaning inch the cable bites-
patience, geared down, can move whole nights.
couplet
Wordplay
- Don't confuse a winch with a wench, or your medieval rescue will go very differently.
What it teaches
Great loads move not by sudden strength but by something steady that refuses to let go.
Quick facts
What does WINCH mean?
A machine that hauls or lifts loads by winding rope or cable around a rotating drum.
Is WINCH a valid word?
Yes — WINCH is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is WINCH?
WINCH has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does WINCH come from?
From Old English 'wince' meaning 'reel, pulley', from the Proto-Germanic root 'winkjan' meaning 'to bend, turn, wink' - the same root behind 'wink', reflecting the turning motion.
What can WINCH teach us?
Great loads move not by sudden strength but by something steady that refuses to let go.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.