Gripe, n. 1. Grasp; seizure; fast hold; clutch.
A barren scepter in my gripe. Shak.
2. That on which the grasp is put; a handle; a grip; as, the gripe of a sword.
3. (Mech.) A device for grasping or holding anything; a brake to stop a wheel.
4. Oppression; cruel exaction; affiction; pinching distress; as, the gripe of poverty.
5. Pinching and spasmodic pain in the intestines; — chiefly used in the plural.
6. (Naut.) (a) The piece of timber which terminates the keel at the fore end; the forefoot. (b) The compass or sharpness of a ship's stern under the water, having a tendency to make her keep a good wind. (c) pl. An assemblage of ropes, dead-eyes, and hocks, fastened to ringbolts in the deck, to secure the boats when hoisted; also, broad bands passed around a boat to secure it at the davits and prevent swinging.
Gripe penny, a miser; a niggard. D. L. Mackenzie.