I took a good gap and a stretch, and was just going to unhitch and start when I heard a sound away over the water. I listened. Pretty soon I made it out. It was that dull kind of a regular sound that comes from oars working in rowlocks when its a still night.
Wikipedia foundation.
Rowlock — Row lock (? colloq. ?), n. [For oarlock; AS. [hand]rloc, where the second part is skin to G. loch a hole, E. lock a fastening. See {Oar}, and {Lock}.] 1. (Naut.) A contrivance or arrangement serving as a fulcrum for an oar in rowing. It consists… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
rowlock — meaning ‘a device on a boat for holding an oar’, is pronounced rol ǝk. The equivalent term in North America is oarlock … Modern English usage
rowlock — [räl′ək, rul′ək; rō′läk΄] n. [altered (infl. by ROW2) < earlier OARLOCK] chiefly Brit. term for OARLOCK … English World dictionary
Rowlock — A rowlock on a rowing boat A rowlock used for the sport of rowing … Wikipedia
rowlock — UK [ˈrəʊˌlɒk] / US [ˈroʊˌlɑk] noun [countable, usually plural] Word forms rowlock : singular rowlock plural rowlocks British a U shaped piece of metal fitted on the side of a boat to hold an oar in position … English dictionary
rowlock — noun Etymology: probably by alteration Date: circa 1750 chiefly British oarlock … New Collegiate Dictionary
rowlock — /roh lok /; for 3 also Naut. /rol euhk, rul /, n. 1. Archit. one of several concentric rings of masonry forming an arch. 2. a brick laid on edge, esp. as a header. Cf. soldier (def. 7). 3. Chiefly Brit. oarlock. Also, rollock (for defs. 1, 2).… … Universalium
rowlock — row|lock [ˈrɔlək US ˈroula:k] n BrE [Date: 1700 1800; Origin: row + O lock% (as in oarlock)] one of the U shaped pieces of metal that holds the ↑oars of a rowing boat … Dictionary of contemporary English
rowlock — contrivance serving as a fulcrum for an oar Nautical Terms … Phrontistery dictionary
rowlock — [[t]rɒ̱lək, ro͟ʊlɒk[/t]] rowlocks N COUNT: usu pl The rowlocks on a rowing boat are the U shaped pieces of metal that keep the oars in position while you move them backwards and forwards. [BRIT] (in AM, use oarlock) … English dictionary
