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Glite Dictionary
fore-topsail

fore-topsail

9.9
A sail set on the front mast of a ship to catch wind
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : vela de cima del foremast
  • Adjusting the fore-topsail allowed the ship to accelerate with the favorable breeze.

Examples

  • The crew worked quickly to raise the fore-topsail before the storm hit.

  • Raise the fore topsail!

    Captain Blood (1935)

  • After the captain ordered, the sailors spread the fore-topsail to catch the wind.

Synonyms

topsail
vsfore-topsail
  • Specialized
4 9.9

A sail set above a lower sail on a mast to catch wind

refers specifically to that sail when fitted on the forward mast

Surface Forms

fore-topsail singular
fore-topsails plural

Morphology

fore-topsail = topsail (transparent) = fore + topsail

The word is a straightforward formation meaning the topsail that belongs to the foremast (fore + topsail), so the meaning follows directly from the components.

Etymology

The word fore-topsail is built from fore meaning 'front', like in forehead, and topsail, a sail near the 'top' of a mast. So a fore-topsail is the topsail on the ship's front mast, the foremast, which is why it is the sail attached to the foremast of a sailing ship.