belay
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be·lay
(bĭ-lā′)v. be·layed, be·lay·ing, be·lays
v.tr.
1. Nautical To secure or make fast (a rope, for example) by winding on a cleat or pin.
2. To provide security to (a climber) by paying out or drawing in rope, often through a braking device, in readiness to break a potential fall.
3. To cause to stop.
v.intr.
1. To be made secure.
2. Used in the imperative as an order to stop: Belay there!
n.
1. The act of belaying a climber.
2. A system of ropes and anchors by which a climber is belayed.
[Middle English bileggen, to surround, from Old English belecgan; see legh- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
belay
(bɪˈleɪ)vb, -lays, -laying or -layed
1. (Nautical Terms) nautical to make fast (a line) by securing to a pin, cleat, or bitt
2. (Nautical Terms) (usually imperative) nautical to stop; cease
3. (Mountaineering) mountaineering to secure (a climber) to a mountain by tying the rope off round a rock spike, piton, nut, etc
n
(Mountaineering) mountaineering the attachment (of a climber) to a mountain by tying the rope off round a rock spike, piton, nut, etc, to safeguard the party in the event of a fall. See also running belay
[Old English belecgan; related to Old High German bileggen, Dutch beleggen]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
be•lay
(bɪˈleɪ)v.t.
1. to fasten (a rope) by winding around a pin or short rod.
2.
v.i. a. to secure (a person) by one end of a rope.
b. to secure (a rope) by attaching to a person or to an object.
3. to belay a rope.
4. (used chiefly in the imperative) to stop; cease; quit.
n. 5. something, as a rock or bush, sturdy enough to anchor a rope in mountain climbing.
[before 900; Middle English beleggen, Old English belecgan]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
belay
Past participle: belayed
Gerund: belaying
| Imperative |
|---|
| belay |
| belay |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  belay - something to which a mountain climber's rope can be securedoutcrop, outcropping, rock outcrop - the part of a rock formation that appears above the surface of the surrounding land |
| Verb | 1. |  belay - turn a rope round an object or person in order to secure it or him |
| 2. |  belay - fasten a boat to a bitt, pin, or cleat |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
belay
verb1. To prevent the occurrence or continuation of a movement, action, or operation:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
belay
vt (Naut) → belegen, festmachen; (Mountaineering) → sichern
interj (Naut) belay there → aufhören
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995