backstay


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back·stay

 (băk′stā′)
n.
1. A rope or cable extending from the top of a mast aft to a vessel's side or stern to help support the mast.
2. A supporting device at or for the back of something else.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

backstay

(ˈbækˌsteɪ)
n
1. (Nautical Terms) nautical a stay leading aft from the upper part of a mast to the deck or stern
2. (Mechanical Engineering) machinery a supporting piece or arresting part
3. anything that supports or strengthens the back of something, such as leather covering the back seam of a shoe
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

back•stay2

(ˈbækˌsteɪ)

n.
any of various shrouds that reinforce a ship's masts against forward pull.
[1620–30; back1 + stay3]

back•stay1

(ˈbækˌsteɪ)

n.
1. a supporting or checking piece in a mechanism.
2. a strip of leather at the back of a shoe, usu. serving as reinforcement.
[1860–65; back1 + stay2]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.backstay - a stay that supports the back of something
stay - (nautical) brace consisting of a heavy rope or wire cable used as a support for a mast or spar
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

backstay

[ˈbækˌsteɪ] n (Naut) → paterazzo
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
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References in classic literature ?
I had to cling tight to the backstay, and the world turned giddily before my eyes, for though I was a good enough sailor when there was way on, this standing still and being rolled about like a bottle was a thing I never learned to stand without a qualm or so, above all in the morning, on an empty stomach.
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"I stuck to the ship till the sea knocked her sides from her keel (which drifted about by itself) and struck the mast out of her in the direction of the keel; but there was a backstay of stout ox-thong still hanging about it, and with this I lashed the mast and keel together, and getting astride of them was carried wherever the winds chose to take me.
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Ere the cry could go aft Steelkilt was shaking one of the backstays leading far aloft to where two of his comrades were standing their mast-heads.
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After a strong start to the challenging Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race, Oman Sail's Class 40 team was forced to retire after its vital backstay mast support rigging failed.
SEVENSTAR ROUND BRITAIN AND IRELAND RACE: OMAN SAIL CLASS 40 TEAM RETIRES
* The autonomous cathodic protection which does not demand power supply source, based on connection of the semiconductor diode parallel to the isolating elements in backstay cables, that is equivalent to giving of negative potential on the protected element [16].
System of Protection and Diagnostics of Structural Elements of Support of High-Voltage Power Lines
In the case of a building featuring setbacks, reactive 'backstay' forces can be developed in the interfacial diaphragm between the podium and the tower to resist the overturning actions (refer Figure 1(a)).
Analytical modelling of podium interference on tower walls in buildings
During construction, six pairs of cables and three pairs of backstay cables provided support for the arches.
The road is a park and the park is a road: the Natchez Trace Parkway is one of the few roadways that is itself a national park, and its northern end starts off with a bang--the award-winning Double Arch Bridge
It is the first B2P bridge with a loaded backstay, and the first B2P suspension bridge to require wind guys.
Bridges to Prosperity: Paso Real Suspension Bridge Receives a Special Award of Merit at 2015 International Bridge Conference[R]
He secured keeper Nicky Weaver on a new deal until the end of the season and he believes having such an experienced shot-stopper as backstay up is keeping regular glovesman Jamie Langfield at the peak of his game.
Peter used to go under the radar ... now he's under the microscope; Anderson hails impact of Pawlett as opponents set up to deal with dangerman
* Miscellaneous steel items: Handrails (straight and stair), ladders (with and without safety cages), gratings, chequered plates, stair and stair tread backstay holders and electrostatic precipitator components, skids and ducts.
Geyad adds unit, plans expansion
When he said that "they had to their backstay friends and receptors, all the country of Merioneth and Powysland", it was a clear dig at the Foelas family who controlled Ysbyty Ifan and were the local rivals of the Wynns.
How a village family provided some of the foundation stones for our modern Wales

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