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Glite Dictionary
royal brace

royal brace

9.9
A rope that holds or controls the top part of a ship's mast
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : soga real
  • A sudden gust tore the royal brace loose from the mast.

Examples

  • The crew adjusted the royal brace before the storm hit.

  • Maintenance of the royal brace is crucial during long voyages.

  • The sailor adjusted the royal brace carefully.

  • Have you seen the royal braces on that ship?

  • The crew hoisted the sails and secured the royal brace tightly to manage the wind's force.

  • Before setting sail, the captain instructed everyone to check the royal brace for any wear.

  • To ensure a smooth journey, the sailor inspected the royal brace that held the mast in place.

Surface Forms

royal brace singular
royal braces plural

Morphology

royal + brace

Both constituents are literal nautical terms: 'royal' (a small upper sail) and 'brace' (a rope for trimming yards), so the compound straightforwardly denotes the brace associated with the royal sail. Although specialised jargon, the meaning is compositionally predictable from the parts, so a learner who knows both constituent senses can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The noun royal brace comes from old sailing ships. The small sail at the top of the mast was called the royal and a brace was the rope used to turn or hold a sail, so the royal brace was the rope that controlled that top sail, which is why it means 'a rope used to secure or control the royal mast'.