From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Capstan \Cap"stan\, n. [F. cabestan, fr. Sp. cabestrante,
cabrestante, fr. cabestrar to bind with a halter, fr.
cabestrohalter, fr. L. capistrum halter, fr. capere to hold
(see {Capacious}); or perh. the Spanish is fr. L. caper goat
+ stans, p. pr. of stare to stand; cf. F. ch[`e]vre she-goat,
also a machine for raising heavy weights.]
A vertical cleated drum or cylinder, revolving on an upright
spindle, and surmounted by a drumhead with sockets for bars
or levers. It is much used, especially on shipboard, for
moving or raising heavy weights or exerting great power by
traction upon a rope or cable, passing around the drum. It is
operated either by steam power or by a number of men walking
around the capstan, each pushing on the end of a lever fixed
in its socket. [Sometimes spelt {Capstern}, but improperly.]
[1913 Webster]
{Capstan bar}, one of the long bars or levers by which the
capstan is worked; a handspike..
{To pawl the capstan}, to drop the pawls so that they will
catch in the notches of the pawl ring, and prevent the
capstan from turning back.
{To rig the capstan}, to prepare the for use, by putting the
bars in the sockets.
{To surge the capstan}, to slack the tension of the rope or
cable wound around it.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
capstan
n 1: a windlass rotated in a horizontal plane around a vertical
axis; used on ships for weighing anchor or raising heavy
sails
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