outrigger
nounUK /ˈaʊtˌɹɪɡə/ · US /ˈaʊtˌɹɪɡɚ/
Etymology Modification of earlier outligger after rig (“to fit out”); equivalent to out- + ligger.
2
Nautical, Transport A long thin timber, pontoon, or other float attached parallel to a canoe or boat by projecting struts as a means of preventing tipping or capsizing.
- The Sentinelese hunt in the rainforest and fish in the coastal waters using spears, bows and arrows, as well as homemade narrow outrigger canoes, according to Survival International.2025 April 4, Lex Harvey and Esha Mitra, “US tourist arrested after allegedly attempting to contact ‘world’s most isolated’ tribe”, in CNN:
5
An extension mechanism, often retractable when not in use, on a boat, vehicle, or structure which helps to stabilize it to keep it from tipping over.
- From the cowcatcher hung the outrigger of the tricycle, leaping about as though in the grip of death itself, beating against the iron that had shattered it, striking the road, sending the gravel flying.1938, Xavier Herbert, chapter XII, in Capricornia, New York: D. Appleton-Century, published 1943, page 200:
- These piles supported long lengths of hard timber (approximately 2-ft. square section) which provided a firm anchorage for the outriggers supporting the cranes.1946 March and April, C. R. L. Coles, “Re-Railing the Locomotive at Bourne End”, in Railway Magazine, page 95:
1 more example
- The cranes are supplied with outriggers and jacks for use when lifting heavy loads or when working at extended radii.1960 July, “Talking of Trains: New breakdown cranes”, in Trains Illustrated, page 392:
- Derived terms
- outriggered, outriggerless
- Related terms
- inrigger, outrigged