abseil

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈæbseɪl/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(äp′zīl, ab′sāl)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
ab•seil  (äp′zīl, ab′sāl),USA pronunciation n., v.i. 
  1. Foreign Terms, Sportrappel.
  • German abseilen (ab- down + seilen to rope)
  • 1930–35

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
abseil / ˈæbseɪl/ (intransitive)
  1. to descend a steep slope or vertical drop by a rope secured from above and coiled around one's body or through karabiners attached to one's body in order to control the speed of descent
  2. to descend by rope from a helicopter
  1. an instance or the technique of abseiling

Also called: rappel Etymology: 20th Century: from German abseilen to descend by a rope, from ab- down + Seil rope
'abseil' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
rappel

Forum discussions with the word(s) "abseil" in the title:


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