Emily Dickinson Lexicon

cordage, n. [Fr. < corde, cord; cf. It. cordaggi, tacklings or ropes for ships; see cord, n.] (webplay: ship).

Ropes; tackle; rigging; sailing rig; outfitting; equipage; strong lines of braided fiber used to support the masts and sails of a boat; [word play on L. cor 'heart'] heartstrings; life-sustaining vital organ; center of being, thought, feeling, and so forth in humans; [metaphor] courage; spiritual strength; will to live.