# cable

Pronunciation: say "KAY-buhl" /ˈkeɪ.bəl/

## Noun

1. An assembly of one or more wires used for electrical power or data circuits, with insulation around some or all of it.
   - Simple: One or more wires used to carry electricity or data, often covered in plastic.
   - _Electricians ran a thick cable through the wall to power the new outlet._
   - _Each cable in the data center is labeled at both ends._
2. Television, and often internet service, delivered to homes through a network of underground or overhead cables rather than broadcast through the air; also, the service or system that provides it.
   - Simple: TV, and often internet, that comes into your home through wires, or the company service that provides it.
   - _Millions of households dropped cable in favor of streaming services._
   - _The show first aired on cable before moving to a major network._
3. A thick, strong rope or chain, often made of smaller ropes or metal wires twisted together, used to support, pull, or hold things, such as a ship at anchor.
   - Simple: A thick, strong rope or chain used to hold up, pull, or tie things, such as a ship at anchor.
   - _The elevator hangs from a steel cable rated for several tons._
   - _Climbers clipped onto a cable bolted along the cliff face._
4. A telegram, especially one sent overseas by submarine telegraph cable.
   - Simple: A message sent quickly over a long telegraph wire, often one laid under the ocean.
   - _The correspondent's cable reached the newsroom just before deadline._
   - _A coded cable from the embassy warned of the coming crisis._
5. A textured pattern produced by passing groups of stitches over one another, giving a rope-like twist.
   - Simple: A twisted, rope-like pattern made by crossing one group of stitches over another.
   - _The knitter worked a bold cable across the front of the cardigan._
   - _Traditional fishermen's sweaters feature intricate cables and diamond motifs._
11. A unit of distance used at sea, about one tenth of a nautical mile (about 185 meters), traditionally counted as 100 fathoms, or 120 fathoms in older US use.
   - Simple: A unit for measuring distance at sea, about 185 meters, or one tenth of a nautical mile.
   - _The lighthouse stood roughly two cables from the rocks._
   - _He estimated the gap at half a cable and adjusted course._
12. A molding, column shaft, or similar rounded, convex element carved to resemble the spiral twist of a rope.
   - Simple: A rounded molding or column part carved to look like a twisted rope.
   - _The Norman church's arch was edged with a bold cable._
   - _Restorers recarved the worn stone cable that spirals around each of the cathedral's columns._

## Verb

6. To equip something with the cables needed to carry power or signals.
   - Simple: To put cables into a place so it can use electricity or data.
   - _Technicians cabled the stadium for high-speed internet before the opening match._
   - _The company plans to cable every apartment in the complex._
7. To fasten or secure something with cables, or as though with cables.
   - Simple: To tie or hold something in place using cables.
   - _Riggers cabled the antenna to the rooftop against high winds._
   - _Arborists often cable a split trunk so the two halves cannot pull apart in a storm._
8. To send a message, news, or a report to someone by telegraph cable.
   - Simple: To send someone a message by telegram.
   - _The correspondent cabled a detailed report to the newsroom the moment the verdict came in._
   - _Editors instructed staff to cable any major developments immediately._
9. To knit a cable pattern by crossing groups of stitches over one another.
   - Simple: To knit a twisted, rope-like pattern by crossing one set of stitches over another.
   - _Experienced knitters can cable without a separate holding needle._
   - _Once you learn to cable, an Aran sweater is far less daunting than it looks._
10. To wrap two or more wires together so they form a single cable.
   - Simple: To twist or wrap wires together to make a cable.
   - _Manufacturers cable fine copper strands together to make power cords that bend without breaking._
   - _Engineers cable the fibers together before adding the outer jacket._
13. To ornament something, such as a molding or column, with a carved spiral resembling twisted rope.
   - Simple: To decorate something with a carved, twisted, rope-like pattern.
   - _Romanesque builders liked to cable the shafts of doorway columns, carving them into a spiral like twisted rope._
   - _The pilasters are richly cabled, their carving echoing the rope motif of the nave._

## Other meanings

- (noun) The foreign-exchange name for the British pound quoted against the United States dollar.

## Origin

Latin "capio" (to take, seize) led to Late Latin "capulum" (lasso, rope, halter) and then to Old Northern French "cable," which shows up in Middle English as "cable" from about 1205. Since the mid-19th century the word has also named the GBP/USD exchange rate, because that rate was sent across the Atlantic by submarine cable.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cable (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).