Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A rope attached to the lower edge of a sail.
  • noun A rope, rigged beneath a yard, for sailors to stand on during the reefing or furling of sail.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Nautical: The bolt-rope to which the lower edge of a sail is sewed.
  • noun A rope extended under a yard from the middle to the yardarm, and under the jib- and spanker-booms, for the men to stand on while reefing or furling.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The rope rigged below a yard, upon which men stand when reefing or furling; -- formerly called a horse.
  • noun That part of the boltrope to which the lower edge of a sail is sewed.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun nautical a rope attached to the lower part of a sail
  • noun nautical a rope attached to a yard that sailors stood on to stabilize it when furling or reefing

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

foot +‎ rope

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Examples

  • The only weapon to hand was the cavalla sabre thrust into the earth and securing the footrope of the bridge.

    Shaman's Crossing Hobb, Robin 2005

  • A swanneck driven into the earth secured the end of the fine yellow footrope closest to me.

    Shaman's Crossing Hobb, Robin 2005

  • When it came my time, I stepped past the Kidona swanneck that secured the footrope of the bridge and out onto it.

    Shaman's Crossing Hobb, Robin 2005

  • She curled her feet about the footrope she had braced them on and made her grip more firm.

    Ship Of Magic Hobb, Robin 1998

  • (Danish saining) (pche la senne danoise) (con red danesa) flying mesh or flymesh maille folle malla libre foam plastic mousse do plastique plstico poroso footrope bourrelet ralingue infrieure relinga de promos, burln front weight poids antrieur peso anterior full mesh maille franche malla entera

    Chapter 5 1983

  • Then, making up my bunt and putting into it the slack of the clews, the leech and footrope and the body of the sail, I hauled it well up on the yard, smoothed the skin, brought it down abaft, and made fast the bunt-gasket round the mast.

    The Mutineers Charles Boardman Hawes

  • Kampke was blown overboard off the footrope that ran under the yard, as he stood there hauling in on the sail.

    Tramping on Life Kemp, Harry, 1883-1960 1922

  • Kampke was blown overboard off the footrope that ran under the yard, as he stood there hauling in on the sail.

    Tramping on Life An Autobiographical Narrative Harry Kemp 1921

  • The enraged men caught him just outside the door, slammed in his face by Macklin, and I had one glimpse of him as I scrambled in along the footrope.

    The Grain Ship Morgan Robertson 1888

  • "We'll be through in another two minutes --" he began, and then came a terrific shock, and both he and I were jerked off the footrope, and toppled over the yard on to the bellying foresail!

    "Pig-Headed" Sailor Men From "The Strange Adventure Of James Shervinton and Other Stories" - 1902 Louis Becke 1884

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