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rope

n. · v.
US //ˈɹoʊp// UK //ɹˈəʊp// rope
  1. 1 thick cord (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a very strong, thick string made by twisting many smaller threads together.

    heavy cordage consisting of twisted or braided strands of fiber, wire, or synthetic material.

    Example

    The sailors used a thick rope to tie the boat to the wooden dock.

    Example

    The climbers inspected every inch of the nylon rope for fraying before attempting the vertical ascent of the granite face.
  2. 2 death by hanging (n.)
    C1 Advanced Literary Archaic Law

    the use of a rope to execute someone by hanging.

    metonymic use referring to execution by hanging or the gallows.

    Example

    In the old stories, the thief was sentenced to the rope for his crimes.

    Example

    The prisoner faced the rope with a stoic silence that unsettled even the most experienced guards at the prison.
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  1. 3 a long strand (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a long, thin line of something that sticks together, like pearls or onions.

    a cohesive strand or string of items connected together.

    Example

    She wore a long rope of pearls that reached down to her waist.

    Example

    The kitchen ceiling was decorated with dried herbs and several long ropes of garlic imported from the valley.
  2. 4 to tie or secure (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to tie something or someone using a rope.

    to bind, fasten, or secure an object or person using cordage.

    Example

    The workers roped the luggage to the top of the bus so it wouldn't fall.

    Example

    The crew roped the heavy equipment to the deck to prevent it from shifting during the expected gale.
  3. 5 to catch with a lasso (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate American English

    to catch an animal by throwing a circle of rope around it.

    to capture or encircle an animal or object by throwing a lasso or lariat.

    Example

    The cowboy roped the young calf quickly during the competition.

    Example

    The rancher successfully roped the stray bull before it could break through the perimeter fence and vanish into the scrub.
Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-European h₁roypnós (“strap, band, rope”), via Proto-Germanic raipaz, raipą (“rope, cord, band, ringlet”), to Old English rāp (“rope, cord, cable”), and thence to Middle English rop, rope. The root h₁reyp- (“to peel off, tear; border, edge, strip”) underpins the word’s semantic core, though the term’s journey through Germanic languages preserved its function rather than its etymological etymology.

Cognates include Scots rape, raip; Saterland Frisian Roop; West Frisian reap; Dutch roop, reep; German Low German Reep; Swedish rep; Danish reb; Icelandic reipi; and Albanian rrip. These variants, scattered across West Germanic and beyond, retain the noun’s ancient utility as a cord or strip, though the precise morphological path from *h₁roypnós to rāp remains unattested in detail.

Etymology 2

From Middle English ropen, rop ("rope"), first attested as the compound for the action of forming ropes, tracing back to the noun rop meaning "rope".

Etymology 3

From Middle English rop (“gut, intestine”), from Old English rop, ropp; compare Middle Dutch rop, ropp (“fish guts”). The modern pronunciation results from phonological assimilation to Etymology 1.

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