noun
- long, narrow buildings or covered areas where ropes are manufactured by twisting fibers together
Usage: historical; nautical
Examples
- The old ropewalks in the shipyard produced cables for sailing vessels.
- Workers in the ropewalks had to walk backwards while spinning the rope fibers.
- The ropewalks were essential to the maritime industry in the 18th century.
- Many ropewalks were built near ports to supply ships with rigging.
- The abandoned ropewalks still stand as reminders of the town’s maritime heritage.
- Traditional ropewalks could stretch for hundreds of yards in length.