BELAY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does belay mean? 

• BELAY (noun)
  The noun BELAY has 1 sense:

1. something to which a mountain climber's rope can be secured

  Familiarity information: BELAY used as a noun is very rare.

• BELAY (verb)
  The verb BELAY has 2 senses:

1. turn a rope round an object or person in order to secure it or him

2. fasten a boat to a bitt, pin, or cleat

  Familiarity information: BELAY used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BELAY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Something to which a mountain climber's rope can be secured

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("belay" is a kind of...):

outcrop; outcropping; rock outcrop (the part of a rock formation that appears above the surface of the surrounding land)

Derivation:

belay (fasten a boat to a bitt, pin, or cleat)

belay (turn a rope round an object or person in order to secure it or him)

• BELAY (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they belay    ... he / she / it belays   
Past simple: belayed   
Past participle: belayed   
-ing form: belaying   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Turn a rope round an object or person in order to secure it or him

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "belay" is one way to...):

fasten; fix; secure (cause to be firmly attached)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

belay (something to which a mountain climber's rope can be secured)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Fasten a boat to a bitt, pin, or cleat

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "belay" is one way to...):

fasten; fix; secure (cause to be firmly attached)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

belay (something to which a mountain climber's rope can be secured)

 Context examples 

We belayed the fore down-haul; but the sail was split, and we hauled down the yard, and got the sail into the ship, and unbound all the things clear of it.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

We got the starboard tacks aboard, we cast off our weather-braces and lifts; we set in the lee-braces, and hauled forward by the weather-bowlings, and hauled them tight, and belayed them, and hauled over the mizen tack to windward, and kept her full and by as near as she would lie.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)