Windlass vs Wrench - What's the difference?

As nouns the difference between windlass and wrench

is that windlass is any of various forms of winch, in which a rope or cable is wound around a cylinder, used for lifting heavy weights while wrench is (obsolete) a trick or artifice.

As verbs the difference between windlass and wrench

is that windlass is to raise with, or as if with, a windlass; to use a windlass while wrench is (obsolete) to violently move in a turn or writhe.

windlass

English

(wikipedia windlass)

Noun

(es)

Any of various forms of winch, in which a rope or cable is wound around a cylinder, used for lifting heavy weights

A winding and circuitous way; a roundabout course.

* 1599 , , Ham II. i. 65:

With windlasses and with assays of bias, / By indirections find directions out.

An apparatus resembling a winch or windlass, for bending the bow of an arblast, or crossbow.

(Shakespeare)

Verb

To raise with, or as if with, a windlass; to use a windlass.

(The Century)

To take a roundabout course; to work warily or by indirect means.

(Hammond)

wrench

English

(wikipedia wrench)

Alternative forms

* ** wrenche * ** wrinche * ** wringe

Noun

(wrenches)

(obsolete) A trick or artifice.

* c. 1210 , MS. Cotton Caligula A IX f.246

Mon mai longe liues wene; / Ac ofte him liedh the wrench .

(obsolete) Deceit; guile; treachery.

A movement that twists or pulls violently; a tug.

* 1897 , (Bram Stoker), (Dracula) Chapter 21

With a wrench , which threw his victim back upon the bed as though hurled from a height, he turned and sprang at us.

An injury caused by a violent twisting or pulling of a limb; strain, sprain.

(obsolete) A turn at an acute angle.

(archaic) A winch or windlass.

(obsolete) A screw.

A distorting change from the original meaning.

(US) A hand tool for making rotational adjustments, such as fitting nuts and bolts, or fitting pipes; a spanner.

A violent emotional change caused by separation.

(physics) In screw theory, a screw assembled from force and torque vectors arising from application of Newton's laws to a rigid body.

(obsolete) means; contrivance

(Francis Bacon)

Synonyms

* (tool) spanner (UK, Australia)

Derived terms

* adjustable wrench * socket wrench * monkey-wrench, monkey wrench, monkeywrench * pipe wrench * screw wrench * torque wrench * torsion wrench * tube wrench * dog bone wrench

Verb

(es)

(obsolete) To violently move in a turn or writhe.

To pull or twist violently.

With a surge of adrenaline, she wrenched the car door off and pulled out the injured man.

(obsolete) To turn aside or deflect.

(obsolete) To slander.

(obsolete) To tighten with or as if with a winch.

To injure (a joint) by pulling or twisting.

Be careful not to wrench your ankle walking along those loose stones!

To distort from the original meaning.

(obsolete) To thrust a weapon in a twisting motion.

(intransitive, fencing, obsolete) To disarm an opponent by whirling his or her blade away.

To rack with pain.

To deprive by means of a violent pull or twist.

To use the tool known as a wrench.

The plumber wrenched the pipes until they came loose.

External links

* (Wrench)