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capstan

Syllabification: (cap·stan)
Pronunciation: /ˈkapstən/
Translate capstan | into Italian
Definition of capstan

noun

  • a revolving cylinder with a vertical axis used for winding a rope or cable, powered by a motor or pushed around by levers.
  • the motor-driven spindle on a tape recorder that makes the tape travel past the head at constant speed.

Origin:

late Middle English: from Provençal cabestan, from cabestre 'halter', from Latin capistrum, from capere 'seize'

capstan in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of capstan in the British & World English dictionary