Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A quadrilateral sail extended by a spar running diagonally to the sail's peak.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Nautical:
- noun A sail extended by a sprit, chiefly used in small boats. See
sprit , 3. - noun A sail, no longer in use, attached to a yard slung across the bowsprit of large vessels.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A sail extended by a sprit.
- noun A sail formerly hung under the bowsprit, from the spritsail yard.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun nautical A form of three- or four-sided
fore-and-aft sail and itsrig , supporting theleech of thesail by means of asprit .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a fore-and-aft sail extended by a sprit
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The cartilage of their nose is perforated, and a piece of reed, from eight to ten inches long, thrust through it, which seamen whimsically term their spritsail-yard.
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The bowsprit formerly had one yard, called the spritsail yard.
The Major Operations of the Navies in the War of American Independence 1877
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Except a small fillet of grass the natives wore not a particle of clothing, though there were several scarifications on their bodies; and what sailors call a spritsail-yard run through their nostrils which added to the ferocity of their appearance.
Adventures in Australia William Henry Giles Kingston 1847
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One of the Italians took a turn with it over a cleat, while I hastened to lower our big spritsail.
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The exchange was made, and the salmon boat got up its spritsail and headed down the bay toward the marshes off San Rafael.
White and Yellow 2010
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The spritsail filled with the wind, suddenly, careening the frail open craft till it seemed it would surely capsize.
Chapter 19 2010
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I came on deck to find the Ghost heading up close on the port tack and cutting in to windward of a familiar spritsail close-hauled on the same tack ahead of us.
Chapter 19 2010
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Wherever the spray struck, it turned instantly to frost, and the dipping boom of the spritsail was quickly fringed with icicles.
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The spritsail flapped emptily and the boat righted to an even keel, causing the two men swiftly to change position.
Chapter 19 2010
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As the spritsail was taken in and the boat headed on to the beach, he was aware of a distinct hurt at sight of Joan at the steering-oar, standing erect and swaying her strength to it as she resisted the pressures that tended to throw the craft broadside in the surf.
Chapter 10 2010
chained_bear commented on the word spritsail
See spanker-boom and duck up for usages.
February 27, 2008