■ noun
1》 (also flying ~ ) a horizontal bar hanging by two ropes and free to swing, used by acrobats in a circus.
2》 Sailing a harness attached by a cable to a dinghy's mast, enabling a sailor to balance the boat by leaning out backwards over the windward side.
Origin
C19: from Fr. trapèze , from late L. trapezium (see trapezium ).