carabiner

car·a·bi·ner also kar·a·bi·ner Audio Help (kār'ə-bē'nər)

n. An oblong metal ring with a spring clip, used in mountaineering to attach a running rope to a piton or similar device.

[German Karabiner, short for Karabinerhaken, hook for a carbine, from Karabiner, carbine, from French carabine; see carbine.]

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.