Marline

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: mar=line

CIDE DICTIONARY

Marline, n. [LG. marlien, marling, or D. marling, marlijn, fr. D. marren to tie, prob. akin to E. moor, v., and lijn line: cf.F. merlin. See Moor, v., Line.].

 A small line composed of two strands a little twisted, used for winding around ropes and cables, to prevent their being weakened by fretting.  [1913 Webster]

Marline spike, Marling spike (Naut.), an iron tool tapering to a point, used to separate the strands of a rope in splicing and in marling. It has an eye in the thick end to which a lanyard is attached. See Fid. [Written also marlin spike] -- Marline-spike bird. [The name alludes to the long middle tail feathers.] (Zoöl.) (a) A tropic bird. (b) A jager, or skua gull.

Marline, v. t. [F. merliner.].

 To wind marline around; as, to marline a rope.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Marline, n. Naut. a thin line of two strands.

Idiom

marline-spike = MARLINSPIKE.

Etymology

ME f. Du. marlijn f. marren bind + lijn LINE(1)