noun / verb
cable
KAY-buhl/ˈkeɪbl/
A thick line made of strands bound together.
A thick steel cable passes over a pulley to support the weight.
Etymology
The ancestor named a rope or halter used to hold something fast. English first applied cable to strong shipboard ropes or chains, then extended it to wire ropes and lines carrying telegraphic signals.
In context
we found a prodigious bundle of white thin substances folded one over another about the bigness of three men tied with a strong cable and marked with black figures
More examples
- Connect the monitor with the supplied cable.
- We canceled cable because we rarely watched television.
- The ambassador cabled the news to the foreign ministry.
Forms
cable · cables · cabled · cabling
Similar words
- wire
- Usually a single metal strand, while a cable may combine many strands or insulated wires.