halyard
/ˈhæljə(ɹ)d/ noun
Forms halyards halliard
- noun (nautical) A rope used to raise or lower a sail, flag, spar or yard.
- noun (firefighting) A rope used to extend a ladder.
Synonyms
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English halier, from halen (“to haul”) + -iere (“-er”), with misconstrual of -ier as yard. Compare lanyard.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A rope or tackle for hoisting or lowering yards, sails, flags, etc. [Written also halliard, haulyard.]
Etymology [Hale, v. t. + yard.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “halyard”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details