# rope

Pronunciation: say "ROHP" US /ɹoʊp/, UK /ɹəʊp/

## Noun

1. Strong, thick cord made by twisting together strands of fiber, wire, or other material; also, a single length of such cord.
   - Simple: A strong, thick cord made of twisted strands, or one piece of it, used for tying, pulling, or climbing.
   - _The hardware store sells cotton rope by the foot, cut to whatever length you need._
   - _Factories twist nylon strands into rope strong enough to tow a car._
4. A long, thin, ropelike strand or stream of a soft or sticky substance, such as honey, mucus, melted cheese, or clay.
   - Simple: A long, thin string or stream of something soft or sticky, like honey, melted cheese, or clay.
   - _A thick rope of honey trailed from the dipper into the jar._
   - _Glowing ropes of lava crept down the volcano's slope._
6. Death by hanging, especially as a form of execution.
   - Simple: Death caused by hanging, especially as a punishment.
   - _The pirate escaped the rope by turning informant._
   - _Three conspirators were condemned to the rope at dawn._
7. In baseball, a hard line drive hit fast and on a nearly flat path.
   - Simple: In baseball, a ball hit hard and fast in a nearly straight line.
   - _The cleanup hitter laced a rope down the third-base line._
   - _That swing produced a rope that one-hopped the outfield wall._
8. A very long necklace, typically about a meter or more, much longer than an ordinary strand.
   - Simple: A very long necklace, usually about a meter long or more.
   - _A rope of pearls looped twice around her neck and still reached her waist._
   - _The jeweler displayed a rope of graduated sapphires beneath the glass case._

## Verb

2. To bind or secure something by tying rope around it.
   - Simple: To tie or fasten something using rope.
   - _The movers rope the furniture in place inside the truck._
   - _He roped the canoe firmly to the trailer._
3. To catch or capture something by throwing a rope or lasso around it.
   - Simple: To catch something by throwing a rope around it.
   - _The rancher roped the steer before it reached the open field._
   - _Skilled riders can rope a moving calf at full gallop._
5. To climb a steep surface using a rope or ropes for support.
   - Simple: To climb up or down using a rope.
   - _With the trail washed out, the guide decided they would rope down the last stretch of cliff instead of crossing the loose rock._
   - _The students practiced roping down a short rock face at the climbing gym before trying the real canyon._
9. To develop a ropelike shape or stretch into thin threads, as a liquid may do when poured or pulled.
   - Simple: To stretch out into long, thin threads when poured or pulled.
   - _Cooks boil the syrup until it begins to rope from the ladle in long threads._
   - _Old beer sometimes ropes, forming slimy threads in the glass._
10. To kill oneself, especially by hanging. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To take your own life, especially by hanging.

## Noun

11. Twenty feet, used as a measure of length. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: An old measure of length, the same as twenty feet.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In rhythmic gymnastics, a length of rope used as a hand apparatus, or a routine performed with it.
- (noun) Rohypnol, a potent sedative of the benzodiazepine family.
- (verb) To deliberately pull back or restrain the horse one is riding so that it cannot win the race.
- (noun) The small intestines, the long, narrow, coiled section of the lower gut.
- (noun) A data structure that stores a long string as a tree whose leaves hold short pieces of text, joined in order.
- (noun) A type of radar-jamming chaff made of foil strips with paper chutes attached.
- (noun) A unit of distance equal to the span a god, flying at ten million miles per second, would cover in six months.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 4, 6–8, 11** — From Middle English 'rope', from Old English 'rāp' (rope, cord, cable), going back through Proto-Germanic and possibly to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to peel off, tear; edge, strip'. It is related to words like Dutch 'reep', German Low German 'Reep', Swedish 'rep', and Danish 'reb', all meaning rope.
**Meanings 2–3, 5, 9–10** — The noun rop ("rope") gave rise to a Middle English verb, ropen or rope, meaning "to form ropes," and that verb is where this word comes from.

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