means The system of ropes, cables, and chains that supports and controls a ship's masts and sails, or by extension the gear used to lift, suspend, or manipulate heavy loads.

from From the verb 'to rig,' meaning to fit out or make ready, recorded in English from the late 15th century. The word is of uncertain origin but probably came from a Scandinavian source — compare Norwegian dialect 'rigga,' to bind or wrap up — slipping into the language through the salt-stained vocabulary of sailors. From the literal web of a ship's lines it sailed outward into the figurative: 'rigging' a contraption, and eventually 'rigging' an election, where the sense darkened from honest setup to dishonest fixing.