from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Gripe \Gripe\, n.
1. Grasp; seizure; fast hold; clutch.
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A barren scepter in my gripe. --Shak.
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2. That on which the grasp is put; a handle; a grip; as, the
gripe of a sword.
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3. (Mech.) A device for grasping or holding anything; a brake
to stop a wheel.
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4. Oppression; cruel exaction; affiction; pinching distress;
as, the gripe of poverty.
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5. Pinching and spasmodic pain in the intestines; -- chiefly
used in the plural.
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6. (Naut.)
(a) The piece of timber which terminates the keel at the
fore end; the forefoot.
(b) The compass or sharpness of a ship's stern under the
water, having a tendency to make her keep a good wind.
(c) pl. An assemblage of ropes, dead-eyes, and hocks,
fastened to ringbolts in the deck, to secure the boats
when hoisted; also, broad bands passed around a boat
to secure it at the davits and prevent swinging.
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{Gripe penny}, {a} miser; a niggard. --D. L. Mackenzie.
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