winch
n. countablen. a machine used for pulling or lifting heavy things using a rope or chain that wraps around a drum. You often see these on the front of off-road vehicles or on boats.
n. a mechanical device consisting of a drum and a crank or motor, used for hauling or hoisting by winding a rope or cable. Often used in nautical, automotive, or industrial contexts for heavy lifting.
The truck used a winch to pull the car out of the mud.
The sailors operated the electric winch to raise the heavy anchor before leaving the harbor.
Equipped with a high-torque motor and a steel cable, the industrial winch proved essential for moving the heavy machinery across the factory floor during the renovation.
From Middle English wynche, from Old English winċe, from Proto-Germanic winkijǭ, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European weng- (“to bow, bend, arch, curve”), whence also wink.
See wince.
Variant form of wench.
Commonly used with the verb 'to operate' or 'to wind'.