Word of the Day

: May 15, 2010

derrick

noun DAIR-ik

What It Means

1 : a hoisting apparatus employing a tackle rigged at the end of a beam

2 : a framework or tower over a deep drill hole (as of an oil well) for supporting boring tackle or for hoisting and lowering

derrick in Context

"But there is another type of field that is equally important to Kern County; the oil field, with its derrick rising from the soil like a shunt to coax the earth’s fossil fuel to the surface." (Whitney Otto, How to Make an American Quilt)

Did You Know?

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, London was the home of a notorious executioner named Derick. Among those he beheaded was the Earl of Essex, Robert Devereux, who according to a street ballad of the time had once saved the life of the ungrateful executioner. While members of the nobility were accorded the courtesy of beheading, it was the lot of commoners to be hanged, and those sent to face the rope at the hands of the executioner Derick nicknamed the gallows at Tyburn after him. Throughout the 17th century, "derick" was used as a name for both hangman and gallows. After the days of public hangings, the word "derrick" was adopted as a name for a number of less ominous frameworks or towers.