Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A platform at the head of the mainmast on a square-rigged vessel.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Nautical, a platform just below the head of the mainmast, resting on the trestletrees. See
top .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Naut.) The platform about the head of the mainmast in square-rigged vessels.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun nautical A
platform at the top of a square-rigged vessel'smainmast ; used forobservation and for the attachment ofrigging .
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Larkyns at the maintop was a good second, while Adams at the mizzen was the last; the officer of the watch, on hearing his hail, reporting "All ready!"
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In the maintop were the first mate and three or four of the crew, and in the foretop were the rest, all bunched together and waiting for instructions.
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The foundation for this opinion is the fact that some days ago a mass of wreckage, such as maintop-sails, rigging, masts, etc., was found in the place where the Hollanders have been.
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"Thinks his place is on the maintop, this one," he said, grinning.
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Fitzjames and Crozier found a place at the head of a white-shrouded table, sitting on white-shrouded chairs, pulled back for them on the protesting ice by Mr. Farr, the captain of the maintop whom Crozier had braced earlier in the evening.
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The officer, maintop captain, and cook looked at one another.
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About half-way to the maintop, the Second Mate stopped, and looked down.
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“Aye, aye, Captain,” said the Satyr, sliding the mask up to reveal Thomas R. Farr, Terror's captain of the maintop.
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Crozier had always, until this moment, thought Farr a reliable and sensible hand and a fine maintop captain.
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The captain in the meanwhile crowded her with sail; fifteen sails in all, every stay being gratified with a stay-sail, a boat-boom sent aloft for a maintop-gallant yard, and the derrick of
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