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🚜 A digging machine 🪢 A dragging rope
dragline

dragline

7.2
A heavy cable that people drag along the bottom of the water to catch fish or pull things
  • noun
  • /ˈdræɡˌlaɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cable de arrastre
  • They anchored the boat with a dragline to prevent it from drifting away.

Examples

  • The fishermen used a dragline to catch fish from the shallow waters.

  • Fish are transferred from the hopper by conveyor belts, draglines, or augers.

    Academic text (1991)

  • A dragline is essential for moving heavy equipment across the muddy ground.

Synonyms

towline
vsdragline
1 5.1

A rope used to pull a vehicle or boat

is pulled along ground or seafloor to move, dredge, anchor, or catch fish
towing line
vsdragline
2.8

A strong rope or cable used to pull something, often a boat

is pulled along ground or seafloor to move, dredge, anchor, or catch fish
towing rope
vsdragline
2.8

A strong rope that people use to pull a car or boat

is pulled along ground or seafloor to move, dredge, anchor, or catch fish

Surface Forms

dragline singular
draglines plural

Morphology

dragline = drag + line (transparent) = drag + line

Direct compound where 'line' is used for dragging — the meaning is straightforward from 'drag' + 'line'.

Etymology

Dragline comes from drag + line, meaning a 'line' used to 'drag' things. Think of a long rope or cable, like a fishing line, that is pulled along the ground or riverbed to move things, hold something in place, or catch fish.