Dictionary Definition
pintle n : a pin or bolt forming the pivot of a
hinge
User Contributed Dictionary
Noun
- In the context of "now dialectal": The penis.
- A pin or bolt, usually vertical, which acts
as a pivot for a hinge or a rudder.
- 2005: The train had a searchlight mounted on a pintle on a flat car. — James Meek, The People's Act of Love (Canongate 2006, p. 31)
- In the context of "gunnery": An iron pin used to control recoil of a cannon or around which a gun carriage revolves.
Extensive Definition
A pintle is a pin or bolt, usually inserted into
a gudgeon, which is used
as part of a pivot or hinge.
- In transportation, a pintle hitch/hook is a claw- or pincer-type device that clamps through a lunette ring on the tongue of a trailer.
- In controllable solid rocket motors it is the plug that is moved into and out of the motor throat to control thrust.
- In the military, a pintle is used with light machine guns as the mounting hardware that mates the machine gun to a tripod. Essentially, the pintle is a bracket with a cylindrical bottom and a cradle for the gun on top. The cylindrical bottom fits into a hole in the tripod, while the cradle holds the gun.
- In furniture, a pintle is usually fitted to a castor. The pintle is then inserted into a base, fixing the castors to that base.