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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

câble

câble

See also: cable and câblé

French

Noun

câble m ‎(plural câbles)

  1. cable

Verb

câble

  1. first-person singular present indicative of câbler
  2. third-person singular present indicative of câbler
  3. first-person singular present subjunctive of câbler
  4. third-person singular present subjunctive of câbler
  5. second-person singular imperative of câbler

Etymology

From cable, an Old Northern French (i.e. Old Norman or Picard) variant of chable, cheable, chaable, from Vulgar Latin *caplum, contracted form of Late Latin capulum, from Latin capiō. The Norman-Picard form, used primarily in a maritime sense, coexisted with the Francien dialect forms until replacing them by the 18th century. The Old French forms cheable and chaable were crossed with or influenced by the separate word chaable ‎(“catapult”), from a Vulgar Latin *cadabulum.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kɑbl/

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