A capstan is a machine consisting of a drum that turns round and pulls in a heavy rope or somethingattached to a rope, for example an anchor.
capstan in British English
(ˈkæpstən)
noun
1.
a machine with a drum that rotates round a vertical spindle and is turned by a motor or lever, used for hauling in heavy ropes, etc
2.
any similar device, such as the rotating shaft in a tape recorder that pulls the tape past the head
Word origin
C14: from Old Provençal cabestan, from Latin capistrum a halter, from capere to seize
capstan in American English
(ˈkæpstən)
noun
1.
an apparatus, mainly on ships, around which cables or hawsers are wound for hoisting anchors, lifting weights, etc.: it consists of an upright, spool-shaped cylinder that is turned on an inner shafting by machinery or by hand
2.
a rotating spindle in a tape recorder mechanism that regulates the speed at which the tape is driven past the head
Word origin
ME < OProv cabestan < ? L capistrum, halter, muzzle < capere, to take: see have
Examples of 'capstan' in a sentence
capstan
This morning the cable broke lifting a capstan winch into the bow.
Forsythe, Malcolm THE BOOK LADY (1993)
Standing before a capstan lathe had made existence tolerable by providing the ambition to excel at what he was doing.
Sillitoe, Alan THE OPEN DOOR (1993)
I retreated into the bow, past the capstan, on a line with the cathead.
Wilson, Bob STONE THE CROWS, IT'S A VACUUM-CLEANER (1993)