Capstanman
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Someone who helps turn a capstan, or operates a powered capstan.
"Telford constructed the 570-ft. span suspension bridge across the Menai Straits, 100 ft. above high water level. [...] The catenary chains, in four groups of four, are made of Staffordshire iron brought by canal to Chester and thence by steamship; they were erected by ferrying one end across the Straits on a raft and then pulling up with rope-blocks and capstans, with the capstanmen kept in step by music."
Example
More examples"Telford constructed the 570-ft. span suspension bridge across the Menai Straits, 100 ft. above high water level. [...] The catenary chains, in four groups of four, are made of Staffordshire iron brought by canal to Chester and thence by steamship; they were erected by ferrying one end across the Straits on a raft and then pulling up with rope-blocks and capstans, with the capstanmen kept in step by music."
Etymology
From capstan + -man.
More for "capstanman"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.