ca·ble
(kā′bəl)n.1. a. A strong, large-diameter, heavy steel or fiber rope.
b. Something that resembles such steel or fiber rope.
2. a. Electricity A bound or sheathed group of mutually insulated conductors.
b. A sheathed bundle of optical fibers.
3. Nautical a. A heavy rope or chain for mooring or anchoring a ship.
b. A cable length.
4. a. Cable television.
b. A similar service providing internet access.
5. A cablegram.
adj. Of or relating to a subscription television or internet service that uses cables to carry signals between local distribution antennas and the subscriber's location.
v. ca·bled, ca·bling, ca·bles
v.tr.1. a. To send a cablegram to.
b. To transmit (a message) by telegraph.
2. To supply or fasten with a cable or cables.
v.intr. To send a cablegram.
[Middle English, from Old North French, from Late Latin
capulum,
lasso, from Latin
capere,
to seize; see
kap- in
Indo-European roots.]
ca′bler n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.