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Glite Dictionary
Sticht plate

Sticht plate

9.8
A small metal plate climbers use to hold and slow a rope when lowering or belaying someone
  • noun
  • Jargon
translation icon : placa Sticht
  • Some instructors still use a Sticht plate for teaching basic belaying techniques.

Examples

  • The climber attached a Sticht plate to his harness before beginning the ascent.

  • Compared to modern devices, the Sticht plate can be less forgiving with thicker ropes.

  • The climber used a Sticht plate for safety.

  • Many climbers prefer the Sticht plate for its reliability.

  • The climber attached a Sticht plate to his harness before beginning the ascent.

  • Some instructors still use a Sticht plate for teaching basic belaying techniques.

  • Many climbers prefer the Sticht plate for its reliability.

Synonyms

guide plate
vsSticht plate
  • Jargon
7.3

A metal plate with a long slot that helps control a climbing rope by holding a carabiner

is mainly used as a rope brake for belaying and controlled descent

Surface Forms

Sticht plate singular
Sticht plates plural

Morphology

Sticht + plate

The element 'Sticht' is a proper name or opaque label with no obvious lexical meaning, and while 'plate' denotes a flat metal piece, that alone does not convey the specific rope‑brake/belaying function. A B1 learner who knows the constituents would not be able to infer the technical climbing device sense without prior exposure or knowledge of the eponym, so the expression is not compositionally transparent.

Etymology

Sticht plate likely comes from a maker or instructor named Sticht and the small metal plate he made. Picture a rope running through a metal plate with a slot that slows the rope, and that's why the name refers to a tool used 'to hold or slow a rope'.