⛵ A high sail 🗼 A high mast part

topgallant

1 9.9

A small square sail set above the topsail on a sailing ship

noun
/ˈtɑpˌɡælənt/

Specialized

: trapo de gavia

The crew hoisted the topgallant sail to catch more wind on the square-rigged ship.

Examples

- We have to cut away the topgallants!

In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
Set topsails and topgallants.

In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
- Let go of the topgallants!

Pocahontas (1995)
Up aloft and set the topgallants again.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)
-Mr. Morrison, set the topgallants again.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)
Yes, I'll have the topgallants off her, Mr. Morrison.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)
Set the topgallants again.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)
- Topgallants away!

In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
Set topgallants.

In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
A tall shouting blur on the topgallant fo'c's'le, which must be Dias.

Fiction book (2002)

Synonyms

topgallant sail

vstopgallant

Specialized

9.9

A sail set high above the topsail on a sailing ship's mast

describes the same sail but named by its attachment to the mast yard

Compounds

topgallant mast

Specialized

9.9

A tall upright wooden pole near the top of a sailing ship that holds a high square sail

topgallant sail

Specialized

9.9

A sail set high above the topsail on a sailing ship's mast

topgallant yard

Specialized

9.9

A long horizontal pole high on a sailing ship that holds the sail above the topsail

Surface Forms

topgallant singular

topgallants plural

Morphology

topgallant = top + gallant (opaque) = top + gallant

Although composed of the recognizable words 'top' and 'gallant', the term names a specialized part of a mast/sail and its meaning is not derivable by a typical learner from the components.

Etymology

Topgallant comes from the two parts top and gallant, where gallant once suggested 'proud' or 'showy'. A topgallant sail is the high, 'proud' sail set above the topsail to catch more wind, which is why it has this name.