: a machine for moving or raising heavy weights that consists of a vertical drum which can be rotated and around which cable is turned
2
: a rotating shaft that drives tape at a constant speed in a recorder
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebSuch is the ship’s condition that some of her rigging is still in place, while her wooden capstan and bilge pump are also visible.Fox News, 23 July 2019 Various rare items were also visible aboard the ancient wreck, including a wooden bilge pump and a capstan, a wide cylinder used for winding up lengths of rope. William J. Broad, New York Times, 22 July 2019 Cranes, windlasses and capstans (ancient water-raising devices based on a kind of swinging, see-saw design) may well have inspired the use of counterweights in early elevators and hoists. Adrienne Bernhard, Smithsonian, 27 Apr. 2018
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, probably from Middle French cabestant