staysail

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stay·sail

(stā′səl, -sāl′)

n. Nautical

A triangular sail hoisted on a stay.

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.

staysail

(ˈsteɪˌseɪl; ˈsteɪsəl) nautical

(Nautical Terms) an auxiliary sail, often triangular, set to catch the wind, as between the masts of a yawl (mizzen staysail), aft of a spinnaker (spinnaker staysail), etc

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

stay•sail

(ˈsteɪˌseɪl; Naut. -səl)

n.

any sail set on a stay, as a triangular sail between two masts.

[1660–70]

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Noun

staysail - a fore-and-aft sail set on a stay (as between two masts)

fore-and-aft sail - any sail not set on a yard and whose normal position is in a fore-and-aft direction

Translations

staysail

[ˈsteɪseɪl, (Naut) ˈsteɪsl] N → vela f de estay

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

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References in classic literature ?

Off Ship Island Light the reefs were shaken out, and at Charley's suggestion a big fisherman's staysail was made all ready for hoisting, and the maintopsail, bunched into a cap at the masthead, was overhauled so that it could be set on an instant's notice.

I was watching the behavior of their boat as the great fisherman's staysail, far, far larger than the top-sail and used only in light breezes, was broken out.

The seafaring folk of Antioch had seen us breaking out topsail and staysail, a most reckless performance in such weather, and had hurried to the wharf-ends in little groups to find out what was the matter.

We took in topsail and staysail, dropped the main peak, and as we got abreast of the principal wharf jibed the mainsail.

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As to the seas, they runs more in uppers in the Bay of Biscay, unless it may be in a sow-wester, when they tumble about quite handsomely; thof it’s not in the narrow sea that you are to look for a swell; just go off the Western Islands, in a westerly blow, keeping the land on your larboard hand, with the ship’s head to the south’ard, and bring to, under a close-reefed topsail; or, mayhap, a reefed foresail, with a fore-topmast-staysail and mizzen staysail to keep her up to the sea, if she will bear it; and ay there for the matter of two watches, if you want to see mountains.

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My hands were full with the flying-jib, jib, and staysail; and by the time this part of my task was accomplished the Ghost was leaping into the south-west, the wind on her quarter and all her sheets to starboard.

I pulled till I burst open the ends of all my fingers; and while I pulled, the flying-jib and staysail split their cloths apart and thundered into nothingness.

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The Jessie swung off under her full staysail, then the foresail, double-reefed, was run up.

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"In the end he managed to knock both shackles out and raise the staysail and jib, and the Duchess filled away for the entrance.

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Scarcely had we recovered our senses, before the foretopsail went into shreds, when we got up a storm staysail and with this did pretty well for some hours, the ship heading the sea much more steadily than before.

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She was running before the wind - yawing frightfully - her staysail let down to act as a sort of extra foresail, -" scandalised," they call it, - and her fore-boom guyed out over the side.

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The proof of it was that on that very occasion he desired him suddenly after a period of silent pacing, to have all the staysails sheets eased off, and he was going on with some other remarks on the subject of these staysails when Mrs.