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Added 8 October 2026

pulley

/ˈpʊli/ noun

In Latin: trochlea Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pulley at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A simple machine consisting of a wheel with a groove in which a rope can run to change the direction or point of application of a force applied to the rope.

Origin

From Middle English puly, poley, from Old French poulie, polie (“a pulley, windlass”), from Medieval Latin polidia, plural mistaken for the feminine of neuter polidium, from Ancient Greek πολίδιον (polídion, “little pivot”), diminutive of πόλος (pólos, “pivot, hinge, axis”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- (“to turn”). Associated with pull (verb) by folk etymology.

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

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