Word
cunningham
Phoneticscun·ning·ham
/ˈkənɪŋˌhæm/
Definitions
01a family name
n. a common family name that comes from Scotland.
n. a Scottish habitational surname and clan name, widely distributed throughout the English-speaking world.
“Professor Cunningham gave a very interesting lecture on history today.”
“The Cunningham family has maintained a presence in this region for several generations, contributing significantly to the local textile industry.”
02sailing equipment
n. a rope on a sailboat used to pull down the front edge of a sail to make it flatter.
n. a specific type of downhaul used to adjust the tension of a sail's luff, thereby shifting the draft forward and flattening the sail.
“The wind got stronger, so he pulled the cunningham to flatten the sail.”
“As the breeze freshened, the skipper adjusted the cunningham to depower the mainsail and maintain a better heel angle through the gusts.”
Technical
Usage
usually preceded by the definite article 'the'
Teaching tip
This is a highly specialized term; unless your students are sailors, they will likely only encounter this word as a surname.
Synonyms
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/cunningham