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Glite Dictionary
🎣 A hook tool 🎣 To hook fish 🐓 A metal spur ⛵ A sail pole
gaff

gaff

1 9.9
A pole on a boat that holds the top edge of a four-sided sail
  • noun
  • /ɡæf/
  • Specialized
translation icon : botavara
  • - This your gaff?
  • a gaff-rigged sail

Examples

  • Send the gaff top sail!

    Hawaii (1966)

  • A tiny hull and a gaff-rigged mast.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Well then, take the gaff.

    Zombie Bro (2020)

  • Loose the gaff topsail!

    Hawaii (1966)

  • Three Mast Gaff-Rigged Schooner

    Blog text (31)

  • The gaff supports the upper edge of the sail, allowing it to catch the wind more effectively.

  • During our sailing lesson, the instructor explained how to adjust the gaff to improve the sail's performance.

  • The fisherman secured the sail to the gaff, ensuring it was set properly for their journey across the lake.

Synonyms

spar
vsgaff
  • Specialized
3 8.6

A strong pole on a ship that supports sails

is a specific aft upper-edge support rather than a general pole
sprit
vsgaff
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A pole that runs at an angle across a sail to hold it out

supports the upper edge from aft instead of running diagonally

Compounds

gaff topsail
  • Specialized
9.9

A triangular sail set above the gaff with its bottom on the gaff and its front edge along the topmast

gaff-headed sail
  • Specialized
9.9

A four-sided sail set along the boat with its top held by a sloping pole

How Long

mast
49 4.2
yard
  • Specialized
5 9.1
gaff
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Surface Forms

gaff singular
gaffs plural

Etymology

Gaff for the spar on a sailing boat probably comes from an old word for a 'hook' or a pole that 'sticks out', so think of it as the arm that holds up and shapes the top edge of the sail.