[ra-pel, ruh-] 
noun, verb, -pelled, -pel⋅ling.| 1. | (in mountaineering) the act or method of moving down a steep incline or past an overhang by means of a double rope secured above and placed around the body, usually under the left thigh and over the right shoulder, and paid out gradually in the descent. |
| 2. | to descend by means of a rappel. |
| rap·pel (rā-pěl') n. A descent of a vertical surface, as a cliff or wall, by sliding down a belayed rope that is passed under one thigh and over the opposite shoulder or through a device that provides friction, typically while facing the surface and performing a series of short backward leaps to control the descent. intr.v. rap·pelled, rap·pel·ling, rap·pels To descend from a steep height by this method. [French, recall, return, rappel, from Old French, recall, from rapeler, to recall : re-, re- + apeler, to summon; see appeal.] |
