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Glite Dictionary
headframe

headframe

8.4
A tall structure above a mine shaft that holds equipment to lift people and materials
  • noun
  • /ˈhɛdˌfreɪm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : estructura de cabeza
  • The headframe stood tall, providing vital support for the equipment used to lift ore from the depths of the mine.

Examples

  • Workers inspected the headframe to ensure it was safe for transporting both materials and personnel.

  • There is a headframe and holding pond, equipment shed, maybe a Cat or backhoe.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The slits in the opposite wall are where the cables from the mine hoist motors would go out to meet the headframe.

    Blog text (1)

  • The miners gathered beneath the sturdy headframe, preparing to descend into the shaft.

Synonyms

headgear
vsheadframe
  • UK
1 9.2

The frame above a mine shaft that holds equipment used to lift ore or people

is the tall structure built above the shaft that supports that equipment

Surface Forms

headframe singular
headframes plural

Morphology

headframe = head + frame (semi-transparent) = head + frame

The compound's components are clear ('head' + 'frame'), but the term is specialized mining jargon referring to the frame at the head of a mine shaft, which may not be obvious to all learners.

Etymology

The word headframe combines head ('top') and frame ('support structure'). It names the tall frame at the top of a mine shaft that holds the ropes and lift, so a headframe is the structure above a mine that supports the equipment for lifting people and materials.