Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
lugsail

lugsail

9.9
A four-cornered sail that hangs from a slanted pole attached to the mast
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : vela de lug
  • The small fishing boat was rigged with a lugsail for easier handling in strong winds.

Examples

  • Traditional Scottish skiffs often use a lugsail as their primary sail.

  • She admired the unique shape of the lugsail as it caught the afternoon breeze.

  • The lugsail is essential for sailing.

  • The boat is equipped with a lugsail for better wind capture.

  • The small fishing boat was rigged with a lugsail for easier handling in strong winds.

  • Traditional Scottish skiffs often use a lugsail as their primary sail.

  • She admired the unique shape of the lugsail as it caught the afternoon breeze.

Synonyms

lug
vslugsail
  • Specialized
9.9

A sail with four corners hung from an angled pole on small boats

is the same sail type described without stressing small boat use

Surface Forms

lugsail singular
lugsails plural

Morphology

lugsail = lug + sail (semi-transparent) = lug + sail

Formally a compound of 'lug' + 'sail' so components are visible, but the precise nautical sense (a specific four-cornered sail) is technical and not directly inferable by an average B1 learner.

Etymology

The word lugsail comes from lug, a word that can mean 'to hang' or 'to carry', because the sail hangs from a slanting wooden pole called a yard. So a lugsail is the four-cornered sail set from a yard at an angle to the mast.