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Glite Dictionary
🪢 A rope tool ⛵ A rigging bar
fid

fid

9.9
A wooden or metal bar used on a ship to hold rigging parts in place
  • noun
  • /fɪd/
  • Specialized
: fid
  • The sailor inserted a fid to secure the mast in place.

Examples

  • The sailor used a fid to secure the rigging.

  • A fid is essential for adjusting the sails.

  • A fid is essential when splicing thick ropes on a sailing vessel.

  • He used a metal fid to separate the strands of the rope before tying the knot.

  • The sailor inserted a fid to secure the mast in place.

  • He used a metal fid to separate the strands of the rope before tying the knot.

  • A fid is essential when splicing thick ropes on a sailing vessel.

Synonyms

spar
vsfid
  • Specialized
3 8.6

A strong pole on a ship that supports sails

is a shorter bar mainly for fastening or separating rigging parts
crosstree
vsfid
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A horizontal beam attached across a ship's mast that supports the ropes holding the sails and gives sailors a platform

is a simple bar for fastening or separating rigging rather than a broad platform

Surface Forms

fid singular
fids plural

Etymology

The word fid also came to mean a peg or bar used in a ship's rigging to hold or fasten parts together, because sailors used the same small piece of wood or metal to support masts and secure ropes. So a fid today can mean a wooden or metal bar that supports, fastens, or separates parts of a ship's rigging.