ratline
English
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ratline
- /ˈɹætlɪn/
Where it comes from
Apparently a corruption of raddling by folk-etymological reanalysis as rat + line.
noun ratlines · ratlin · rattlin · rattline
- The rope or similar material used to make cross-ropes on a ship.
- Any of the cross ropes between the shrouds, which form a net-like ropework, allowing sailors to climb up towards the top of the mast. [H]e laid hold of the first ratline with his right hand, then sprung to the second, with his left, and so on alternately, right and left, up to the last, close to the futtock shrouds.
- A system of escape routes for Nazis and other fascists fleeing Europe in the aftermath of World War II. Marc Masurovsky, of the European Shoah Legacy Institute, has a remarkable knowledge of the Nazi ratlines and Allied intelligence.
Translations
Every language
noun net like ropework of the shrouds
| Español | flechaste |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 繩梯 /绳梯 shéngtī |
| Français | enfléchure |
| Deutsch | Webeleine, Webleine |
| Русский | вы́бленка výblenka |
| עברית | חֲוַק חֶבֶל khavak khevel, חַוְקֵי הַתֹּרֶן khavkey hatoren |
noun Nazi escape route system
| 中文 | 老鼠線 /老鼠线 láoshǔxiàn |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Rattenlinie |
Talk about this word "ratline." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ratline. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ratline. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ratline "ratline." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ratline.Cite this
@misc{ratline_2026,
title = {ratline},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ratline},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
