cable
Use Cable in a sentence
bəl noun
1.
a heavy, strong rope.
2.
a very strong rope made of strands of metal wire, as used to support cable cars or suspension bridges.
3.
a cord of metal wire used to operate or pull a mechanism.
4.
5.
Electricity. an insulated electrical conductor, often in strands, or a combination of electrical conductors insulated from one another.
verb (used with object)
10.
to send (a message) by cable.
11.
to send a cablegram to.
12.
to fasten with a cable.
13.
to furnish with a cable.
14.
to join (cities, parts of a country, etc.) by means of a cable television network: The state will be completely cabled in a few years.
00:10
Cable
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English, probably < Old North French *cable < Late Latin capulum lasso; compare Latin capulāre to rope, halter (cattle), akin to capere to take
1175–1225; Middle English, probably < Old North French *cable < Late Latin capulum lasso; compare Latin capulāre to rope, halter (cattle), akin to capere to take
Related forms
ca·ble·like, adjective
re·ca·ble, verb, re·ca·bled, re·ca·bling.
un·ca·bled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To cable
Collins
World English Dictionary
cable (ˈkeɪbəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a strong thick rope, usually of twisted hemp or steel wire |
| 2. | nautical an anchor chain or rope |
| 3. | a. a unit of distance in navigation, equal to one tenth of a sea mile (about 600 feet) |
| b. cable length, Also called: cable's length a unit of length in nautical use that has various values, including 100 fathoms (600 feet) | |
| 4. | See also coaxial cable a wire or bundle of wires that conducts electricity: a submarine cable |
| 5. | overseas telegram, international telegram, Also called: cablegram a telegram sent abroad by submarine cable, radio, communications satellite, or by telephone line |
| 6. | See cable stitch |
| 7. | short for cable television |
| —vb | |
| 8. | to send (a message) to (someone) by cable |
| 9. | (tr) to fasten or provide with a cable or cables |
| 10. | (tr) to supply (a place) with or link (a place) to cable television |
| [C13: from Old Norman French, from Late Latin capulum halter] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
cable
c.1200, from O.N.Fr., from M.L. capulum "lasso, rope, halter for cattle," from L. capere "to take, seize" (see capable). Technically, in nautical use, a rope 10 or more inches around (smaller ones being hawsers); in non-nautical use, a rope of wire (not hemp or fiber). Given
a new range of senses in 19c.: Meaning "message received by telegraphic cable" is from 1883 (short for cable message). As a verb, "to tie up with cables" is from c.1500; "to transmit by cable" is 1871, Amer.Eng. Cable car is from 1887. Cable television first attested 1963; shortened form cable is from 1972.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
cable
in electrical and electronic systems, a conductor or group of conductors for transmitting electric power or telecommunication signals from one place to another. Electric communication cables transmit voice messages, computer data, and visual images via electrical signals to telephones, wired radios, computers, teleprinters, facsimile machines, and televisions. There is no clear distinction between an electric wire and an electric cable. Usually the former refers to a single, solid metallic conductor, with or without insulation, while the latter refers to a stranded conductor or to an assembly of insulated conductors. With fibre-optic cables, made of flexible fibres of glass and plastic, electrical signals are converted to light pulses for the transmission of audio, video, and computer data
Learn more about cable with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences from the web
After graduating, he became a draftsman and advertising designer with a cable company.
Unusually large and heavy books are sometimes bound with wire or cable.
A wireless microphone is one in which the artist is not limited by a cable.
After five days the cable parted, perhaps as a result of rubbing on the bottom.
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