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winch

Pronunciation: /wɪnt͡ʃ/

The English word “winch” has 10 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A machine consisting of a drum on an axle, a friction brake or ratchet and pawl, and a crank handle or prime mover (often an electric or hydraulic motor), with or without gearing, to give increased mechanical advantage when hoisting or hauling on a rope or cable.
  2. A hoisting device used for loading or unloading cargo, or for pulling in lines.
  3. A wince (machine used in dyeing or steeping cloth).
  4. A kick, as of an animal, from impatience or uneasiness.
  5. A witch.

verb

  1. To use a winch
  2. To wince; to shrink
  3. To kick with impatience or uneasiness.
  4. to court
  5. to kiss, snog

Etymology

From Middle English wynche, from Old English winċe, from Proto-Germanic *winkijǭ, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European *weng- (“to bow, bend, arch, curve”), whence also wink.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.