catfall

English

Etymology

cat +‎ fall?

Noun

catfall (plural catfalls)

1. (nautical) A rope used in hoisting the anchor to the cathead.
   • 1810, John Hamilton Moore, The New Practical Navigator:

     belay the catfall; pass the stopper ; hook the fish

References

• “catfall”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.