rope
Definitions
General English
Construction
- Twisted strands of fiber made into strong, flexible cord.
- Strands of wire braided or twisted together that are used for heavy hoisting or hauling.
Food
Military
- noun a thick line of twisted fibres, normally used for pulling or suspending heavy objects
Slang
- noun a decorative metal chain, especially a heavy golden chain as worn by males. This item of hip hop regalia dates from the early 1980s. A synonym is cable.
Origin & History of “rope”
Rope is a
general Germanic
term, represented
also by German
reif, Dutch
reep, Swedish
rep, and Danish
reb (the German
word now means ‘hoop, loop’).
these point to a prehistoric Germanic
ancestor *
raipaz, whose ultimate origins are not known. A
stirrup is etymologically a ‘climbing rope’.
