Definition
cordelled
verb
- past tense of cordelle; to haul or tow a boat upstream by means of a rope or cord attached to the shore
Usage: nautical; historical; chiefly North American
Examples
- The voyageurs cordelled their canoes up the rapids using long ropes.
- Boatmen cordelled the vessel along the river when the current was too strong to paddle.
- They cordelled the heavy barge upstream by securing a line to trees on the bank.
- In the early fur trade, boats were often cordelled through difficult passages.