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Added 10 October 2026

belay

/bɪˈleɪ/ verb

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about belay at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To make (a rope) fast by turning it around a fastening point such as a cleat.
To handle a climbing rope to prevent (a climber) from falling to the ground.
He would need an experienced partner to belay him on the difficult climbs.
To lay aside; to stop; to cancel.
Belay that order!

noun

The securing of a rope to a rock or other sturdy object.
The object to which a rope is secured.
A location at which a climber stops and builds an anchor with which to secure their partner.

verb

simple past of belie (“encompass”)

Origin

From Middle English beleggen, bileggen, from Old English beleċġan (“to cover, invest, surround, afflict, attribute to, charge with, accuse”), From Proto-West Germanic *bilaggjan, equivalent to be- (“about, around”) + lay. Cognate with Dutch beleggen (“to cover, overlay, belay”), German belegen (“to cover, occupy, belay”), Swedish belägga (“to pave”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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