Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Nautical The system of ropes, chains, and tackle used to support and control the masts, sails, and yards of a sailing vessel.
  • noun The supporting material for construction work.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A ridge, as of a house; also, a roof.
  • noun The ropes, chains, etc., which are employed to support and work all masts, yards, sails, etc., in a ship; tackle.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Dress; tackle; especially (Naut.), the ropes, chains, etc., that support the masts and spars of a vessel, and serve as purchases for adjusting the sails, etc. See Illustr. of ship and sails.
  • noun (Naut.) all those ropes used in bracing the yards, making and shortening sail, etc., such as braces, sheets, halyards, clew lines, and the like.
  • noun (Naut.) the shrouds and stays.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun nautical The system of ropes, chains, and tackle used to support and control the masts, sails, and yards of a ship
  • noun Similar supporting material for construction work
  • verb Present participle of rig.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun formation of masts, spars, sails, etc., on a vessel
  • noun gear consisting of ropes etc. supporting a ship's masts and sails

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • Her rigging is something queer, and the next sharp squall will bring her head-gear all about the shop.

    Chapter 10 2010

  • Then Lerumie took to the main rigging, leaving Jerry impotently to rage on the deck beneath him.

    CHAPTER VI 2010

  • To look at them crawling about on deck or in the rigging is enough.

    CHAPTER XXXV 2010

  • Election rigging is part of the US political tradition.

    Cheeseburger Gothic » And now, Gentlemen, down to business. 2010

  • I was at the main rigging, looking to see if any more rain threatened.

    Bunches of Knuckles 2010

  • I started to rush below to the flag-locker, then remembered that in rigging the Ghost.

    Chapter 39 2010

  • I have collected them and will begin rigging a trap for Dr. Alfieri and his colleagues.

    Blog Fiction | Sci-Fi | Rift | Station151 2009

  • Dream mine, and proved of utmost usefulness in rigging the great ore - cables across the river and two hundred feet above its surface.

    The Banks of the Sacramento 2010

  • They followed his gaze, which passed across them to the main rigging, and saw what he saw, a brown hand and arm, muscular and wet, being joined from overside by a second brown hand and arm.

    THE DEVILS OF FUATINO 2010

  • Decker sends a young man aloft to tar down the main rigging but when the tar pot is untied, it drops on Decker's head.

    “It was the Golden Fleece ready for the shearing.” 2008

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