be·lay
(bĭ-lā́)
[Middle English bileggen, to surround, from Old English belecgan.]
verb: -layed, -lay·ing, -lays.
transitive verb
- Nautical To secure or make fast (a rope, for example) by winding on a cleat or pin.
- To secure (a mountain climber, for example) at the end of a length of rope.
- To cause to stop.
intransitive verb
- To be made secure.
- Used in the imperative as an order to stop: Belay there!
noun
- The securing of a rope on a rock or other projection during mountain climbing.
- An object, such as a rock, to which a mountain climber's rope can be secured.