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Webster 1913 Edition

Cable

Ca′ble

(kā′b’l)
,
Noun.
[F.
câble
, LL.
capulum
,
caplum
, a rope, fr. L.
capere
to take; cf. D., Dan., & G.
kabel
, from the French. See
Capable
.]
1.
A large, strong rope or chain, of considerable length, used to retain a vessel at anchor, and for other purposes. It is made of hemp, of steel wire, or of iron links.
2.
A rope of steel wire, or copper wire, usually covered with some protecting or insulating substance;
as, the
cable
of a suspension bridge; a telegraphic
cable
.
3.
(Arch)
A molding, shaft of a column, or any other member of convex, rounded section, made to resemble the spiral twist of a rope; – called also
cable molding
.
Bower cable
,
the cable belonging to the bower anchor.
–
Cable road
,
a railway on which the cars are moved by a continuously running endless rope operated by a stationary motor.
–
Cable’s length
,
the length of a ship's cable. Cables in the merchant service vary in length from 100 to 140 fathoms or more; but as a maritime measure, a cable's length is either 120 fathoms (720 feet), or about 100 fathoms (600 feet, an approximation to one tenth of a nautical mile).
–
Cable tier
.
(a)
That part of a vessel where the cables are stowed.
(b)
A coil of a cable.
–
Sheet cable
,
the cable belonging to the sheet anchor.
–
Stream cable
,
a hawser or rope, smaller than the bower cables, to moor a ship in a place sheltered from wind and heavy seas.
–
Submarine cable
.
See
Telegraph
.
–
To pay out the cable
,
To veer out the cable
,
to slacken it, that it may run out of the ship; to let more cable run out of the hawse hole.
–
To serve the cable
,
to bind it round with ropes, canvas, etc., to prevent its being, worn or galled in the hawse, et.
–
To slip the cable
,
to let go the end on board and let it all run out and go overboard, as when there is not time to weigh anchor. Hence, in sailor's use, to die.

Ca′ble

(kā′b’l)
,
Verb.
T.
1.
To fasten with a cable.
2.
(Arch.)
To ornament with cabling. See
Cabling
.

Ca′ble

,
Verb.
T.
&
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Cabled
(-b’ld)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Cabling
(-blĭng)
.]
To telegraph by a submarine cable
[Recent]

Webster 1828 Edition

Cable

CABLE

,
Noun.
cabl. A large strong rope or chain, used to retain a vessel at anchor. It is made usually of hemp or iron, but may be made of other materials. Cables are of different sizes, according to the bulk of the vessel for which they are intended, from three to twenty inches in circumference. A cable is composed of three strands; each strand of three ropes; and each rope of three twists. A ships cable is usually 120 fathom, or 720 feet, in length. Hence the expression, a cables length.
Stream cable is a hawser or rope, smaller than the bower cables, to moor a ship in a place sheltered from wind and heavy seas.
To pay out, or to veer out the cable, is to slacken it that it may run out of the ship.
To serve the cable, is to bind it round with ropes, canvas, &c., to prevent its being worn or galled in the hawse.
To slip the cable, is to let it run out end for end.

Definition 2024

cable

cable

See also: câble and câblé

English

Noun

cable ‎(plural cables)

  1. (material) A long object used to make a physical connection.
    1. A strong, large-diameter wire or rope, or something resembling such a rope.
    2. An assembly of two or more cable-laid ropes.
    3. An assembly of two or more wires, used for electrical power or data circuits; one or more and/or the whole may be insulated.
    4. (nautical) A heavy rope or chain of at least 10 inches thick, as used to moor or anchor a ship.
  2. (communications) A system for transmitting television or Internet services over a network of coaxial or fibreoptic cables.
    I tried to watch the movie last night but my cable was out.‎
    • 2014 March 15, “Turn it off”, in The Economist, volume 410, number 8878:
      If the takeover is approved, Comcast would control 20 of the top 25 cable markets, […]. Antitrust officials will need to consider Comcast’s status as a monopsony (a buyer with disproportionate power), when it comes to negotiations with programmers, whose channels it pays to carry.
    1. Short for cable television, broadcast over the above network, not by antenna.
  3. A telegram, notably when sent by (submarine) telegraph cable.
  4. (nautical) A unit of length equal to one tenth of a nautical mile.
  5. (finance) The currency pair British Pound against United States Dollar.
  6. (architecture) A moulding, shaft of a column, or any other member of convex, rounded section, made to resemble the spiral twist of a rope.

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • (nautical rope) hawser (thinner)

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

cable ‎(third-person singular simple present cables, present participle cabling, simple past and past participle cabled)

  1. (transitive) To provide with cable(s)
  2. (transitive) To fasten (as if) with cable(s)
  3. (transitive) To wrap wires to form a cable
  4. (transitive) To send a telegram by cable
  5. (intransitive) To communicate by cable
  6. (architecture, transitive) To ornament with cabling.

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

Catalan

Pronunciation

  • (Balearic) IPA(key): /ˈka.blə/
  • (Central) IPA(key): /ˈka.blə/
  • (Valencian) IPA(key): /ˈka.ble/
  • Rhymes: -aβle

Noun

cable m ‎(plural cables)

  1. cable

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from French câble

Noun

cable m ‎(plural cables)

  1. A cable or cord
  2. (colloquial) hand, help

Derived terms

Etymology

Recorded since c.1205, a borrowing from Old Northern French cable, from Late Latin capulum ‎(“lasso, rope, halter”), from Latin capiō ‎(“to take, seize”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /keɪbl/
  • Rhymes: -eɪbəl

Similar Results