Meaning

noun lifting device consisting of a horizontal cylinder turned by a crank on which a cable or rope winds

verb pull or lift up with or as if with a winch

originVarious origins: * A topographic surname for someone who lived at a place where boats were hauled up onto the land by means of pulleys, from Old English winċe (“winch”). * From the second part of Old English hlēapewince (“lapwing”), probably a nickname.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0