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belay

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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See also: Belay

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English beleggen, bileggen, from Old English beleċġan (“to cover, invest, surround, afflict, attribute to, charge with, accuse”), From Proto-West Germanic *bilaggjan, equivalent to be- (“about, around”) +‎ lay. Cognate with Dutch beleggen (“to cover, overlay, belay”), German belegen (“to cover, occupy, belay”), Swedish belägga (“to pave”).

Pronunciation

Verb

belay (third-person singular simple present belays, present participle belaying, simple past and past participle belayed or belaid)

  1. (ambitransitive, nautical) To make (a rope) fast by turning it around a fastening point such as a cleat.
  2. (transitive, climbing) To handle a climbing rope to prevent (a climber) from falling to the ground.
    He would need an experienced partner to belay him on the difficult climbs.
  3. (transitive) To lay aside; to stop; to cancel.
    I could only hope the remaining piton would belay his fall.
    Belay that order!
  4. (intransitive, nautical) The general command to stop or cease.
  5. (transitive, obsolete) To surround; to environ; to enclose.
  6. (transitive, obsolete) To overlay; to adorn.
  7. (transitive, obsolete) To besiege; invest; surround.
  8. (transitive, obsolete) To lie in wait for in order to attack; block up or obstruct.
Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Noun

belay (plural belays)

  1. (climbing) The securing of a rope to a rock or other sturdy object.
  2. (climbing) The object to which a rope is secured.
  3. (climbing) A location at which a climber stops and builds an anchor with which to secure their partner.
    • 1967, Anthony Greenbank, Instructions in Mountaineering, page 84:
      But instead of swapping over at the ice axe belay, you carry on in the lead, cutting or kicking steps until you are about twenty feet above.
Derived terms
Translations
Translations

See also

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Verb

belay

  1. simple past of belie (“encompass”)

References

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