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Glite Dictionary
Marconi rig

Marconi rig

9.9
A sail setup on a boat with a tall single mast and a triangular mainsail
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : vela Marconi
  • Switching from a gaff rig to a Marconi rig improved the vessel's speed and handling.

Examples

  • The Marconi rig is popular among racing sailors.

  • The yacht was equipped with a Marconi rig for optimal performance in light winds.

  • Many modern sailboats use a Marconi rig because of its efficiency and simplicity.

  • Many Marconi rigs are designed for speed and efficiency.

  • Many modern sailboats use a Marconi rig because of its efficiency and simplicity.

  • Switching from a gaff rig to a Marconi rig improved the vessel's speed and handling.

  • The yacht was equipped with a Marconi rig for optimal performance in light winds.

Synonyms

Bermudan rig
vsMarconi rig
  • Specialized
8.9

A sail setup for yachts with triangular sails and a mainsail set behind the mast

is specific about a tall single mast and mainsail raised without a gaff
Bermudian rig
vsMarconi rig
  • Specialized
9.1

A sail arrangement with triangular sails on one tall pole that runs front to back

focuses more on the tall mast and the mainsail raised without a gaff
Bermuda rig
vsMarconi rig
  • Specialized
9.0

A way of putting triangular sails from front to back on a boat, often on yachts

is the same basic arrangement but emphasizes the tall single mast without a gaff

Surface Forms

Marconi rig singular
Marconi rigs plural

Morphology

Marconi + rig

This is a specialized, named sailing term: knowing 'rig' only signals a type of equipment but the proper name 'Marconi' does not transparently convey that it denotes a triangular/gaffless sail arrangement. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not be able to derive the specific sail configuration or meaning from them alone, so the expression is idiomatic and convention-based.

Etymology

Marconi rig may come from the inventor Marconi's early radio masts. The tall single mast and many thin wires on these boats looked like a 'radio mast', so the name came to mean a sailboat with triangular sails on one tall mast.