ratlin
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rat·line
also rat·lin (răt′lĭn)n.
1. Any of the small ropes fastened horizontally to the shrouds of a ship and forming a ladder for going aloft.
2. The material used for these ropes.
[Alteration (perhaps influenced by rat, with reference to ships' rats) of Middle English ratheling in ratheling line, thin cordage used for ratlines, from Middle English rathelen, to entwine + probably from alteration of Middle English raddle, stick, wattle, hurdle woven from wattle, perhaps from Anglo-Norman ridele, redele, rail on the side of a cart, probably of Germanic origin and akin to Middle High German reitel, reidel, toggle, turning handle, Old High German rīdan, to turn, wind; and Old English wrīthan, to writhe; see writhe.]
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.
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| Noun | 1. |  ratlin - (nautical) a small horizontal rope between the shrouds of a sailing ship; they form a ladder for climbing aloftline - something (as a cord or rope) that is long and thin and flexible; "a washing line" ship - a vessel that carries passengers or freight |
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