sheepshank

[ sheep-shangk ]

noun

a kind of knot, hitch, or bend made on a rope to shorten it temporarily.

Origin of sheepshank

First recorded in 1635–45; short for sheepshank knot; literal sense unclear

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sheepshank in a sentence

It is sometimes necessary to shorten a rope temporarily and not desirable to cut it, and the sheep-shank knot solves the problem.
On the Trail | Lina Beard and Adelia Belle Beard
Sheep-shank the stays and backstays, and set them hand-taut.
The Seaman's Friend | Richard Henry Dana
The purpose of a Sheep-shank is to take up slack or shorten a rope temporarily.
Scouting For Girls, Official Handbook of the Girl Scouts | Girl Scouts
But when you come to that sheep-shank and bowline upon the bight, as you term them, it grows confusing.
Fighting in Cuban Waters | Edward Stratemeyer

British Dictionary definitions for sheepshank

sheepshank

/ (ˈʃiːpˌʃæŋk) /

noun

a knot consisting of two hitches at the ends of a bight made in a rope to shorten it temporarily

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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