A reel used in dyeing, steeping, or washingcloth; a winch. It is placed over the division wall between two wince pits so as to allow the cloth to descend into either compartment at will.
From Middle English wincen, winchen, from Anglo-Norman *wenchir, Old Northern French *wenchier (compare Old French guenchir), from Frankish *wenkjan, from Proto-Germanic *wankjan. See also German winken.
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