CAPSTAN, noun A strong massy column of timber, formed like a truncated cone, and having its upper extremity pierced to receive bars or levers, for winding a rope round it, to raise great weights, or perform other extraordinary work, that requires a great power. It may be let down through the decks of a ship, and so fixed that the work is performed by a horizontal motion.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI