rappel
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rappel
technique of controlled descent from a height: rappel down a cliff
Not to be confused with:
repel – drive back; ward off: repel the enemy; be repulsive to
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
rap·pel
(ră-pĕl′)n.
A descent from a height, such as a cliff or wall, in which one slides down an anchored rope and applies friction to control one's speed, either by means of a specialized device or by passing the rope under one thigh and over the opposite shoulder.
intr.v. rap·pelled, rap·pel·ling, rap·pels
To descend from a steep height by this method.
[French, recall, return, rappel, from Old French, recall, from rapeler, to recall : re-, re- + apeler, to summon; see appeal.]
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.
rappel
(ræˈpɛl)vb, -pels, -pelling or -pelled
(Mountaineering) another word (esp US) for abseil
n
1. (Mountaineering) another word (esp US) for abseil
2. (Military) (formerly) a drumbeat to call soldiers to arms
[C19: from French, from rappeler to call back, from Latin appellāre to summon]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
rap•pel
(ræˈpɛl, rə-)n., v. -pelled, -pel•ling. n.
1. (in mountaineering) the act or method of moving down a vertical face by means of a double rope secured above and placed around the body and paid out gradually in the descent.
v.i. 2. to descend by means of a rappel.
[1930–35; < French: literally, a recall. See repeal]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
rappel
Past participle: rappelled
Gerund: rappelling
| Imperative |
|---|
| rappel |
| rappel |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  rappel - (mountaineering) a descent of a vertical cliff or wall made by using a doubled rope that is fixed to a higher point and wrapped around the bodymountain climbing, mountaineering - the activity of climbing a mountain descent - the act of changing your location in a downward direction |
| Verb | 1. |  rappel - lower oneself with a rope coiled around the body from a mountainside; "The ascent was easy--roping down the mountain would be much more difficult and dangerous"; "You have to learn how to abseil when you want to do technical climbing" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
rappel
[ræˈpɛl] vi (US) (= abseil) → descendre en rappelto rappel down sth → descendre qch en rappel
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005