Rudder
['rʌdə] or ['rʌdɚ]
Definition
(noun.) (nautical) steering mechanism consisting of a hinged vertical plate mounted at the stern of a vessel.
(noun.) a hinged vertical airfoil mounted at the tail of an aircraft and used to make horizontal course changes.
Edited by Beverly--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) A riddle or sieve.
(n.) The mechanical appliance by means of which a vessel is guided or steered when in motion. It is a broad and flat blade made of wood or iron, with a long shank, and is fastened in an upright position, usually by one edge, to the sternpost of the vessel in such a way that it can be turned from side to side in the water by means of a tiller, wheel, or other attachment.
(n.) Fig.: That which resembles a rudder as a guide or governor; that which guides or governs the course.
Checker: Olga
Definition
n. the instrument by which a ship is rowed or steered its primitive form an oar working at the stern: that which guides anything: a bird's tail-feather.—ns. Rudd′er-band a gearing with which the rudder is braced when the ship is at anchor; Rudd′er-brace a strap to receive a pintle of the rudder; Rudd′er-brake a compressor for controlling the rudder in a seaway; Rudd′er-chain a strong chain often shackled to the after-part of a rudder to prevent its loss; Rudd′er-coat a covering of tarred canvas used to prevent water rushing in at the rudder-hole; Rudd′er-fish the pilot-fish: the amber-fish: the barrel-fish.—adj. Rudd′erless having no rudder.—ns. Rudd′er-post the shank of a rudder having the blade at one end and the attachments at the other; Rudd′er-stock the blade of the rudder connected by hinges with the sternpost of a vessel; Rudd′er-trunk a casing of wood fitted into the post through which the rudder-stock is inserted; Rudd′er-wheel a small wheel at the end of a plough helping to guide it.
n. a riddle or sieve.—v.t. Rudd′le to sift together: to mix as through a sieve.
Editor: Margaret
Unserious Contents or Definition
To dream of a rudder, you will soom{sic} make a pleasant journey to foreign lands, and new friendships will be formed. A broken rudder, augurs disappointment and sickness.
Typist: Lottie
Examples
- Adrian exclaimed that the rudder was gone;--We are lost, cried Clara, Save yourselves--O save yourselves! Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- The paddles were placed in the middle of the boat, near the stern; and there was a double rudder, connected together by rods which were moved by a winch at the head of the vessel. Frederick C. Bakewell. Great Facts.
- The rudder was of the pattern used on sailing-vessels, and was moved by a tiller. Rupert S. Holland. Historic Inventions.
- After a darkening hour or so, suddenly the rudder-lines tightened in his hold, and he steered hard towards the Surrey shore. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- The amount of supporting surface had been reduced by about eighty square feet, and a change had been made in the lever that turned the rudder and controlled the equilibrating device. Rupert S. Holland. Historic Inventions.
- Trusting to the girl's skill and making no use of the rudder, he eyed the coming tide with an absorbed attention. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- In the middle of the boat were two storage batteries connected with the motor by two cords that both served to cover the conducting wires and work the rudder. Edward W. Byrn. The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.
- The Wrights realized that a more automatic method of meeting these changes must be found, and they worked it out by shifting the rudder and the surfaces of the airship as it met the air-currents. Rupert S. Holland. Historic Inventions.
- By aid of these and the horizontal rudder it was found that the vessel would run for hours at a constant depth and on a level keel. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- But, he promptly set to work to haul up his boat, and make her fast, and take the sculls and rudder and rope out of her. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
Edited by Arnold