main-topsail
9.9
A sail above the mainsail on the main mast of a ship
- noun
- Specialized
:
vela mayor de gavia
- The crew hoisted the main topsail to catch the strong wind and speed up the ship.
Examples
-
Set your fore staysail and your fore and main topsails.
-
With only one sail up, their progress was too slow, so presently Larkin ordered the main topsail set.
Fiction book (1994) -
Go main topsail leech lines.
-
Set fore the main topsail and topgallant stunsails, men.
-
Main topsail leech lines!
-
During the storm, they quickly lowered the main topsail to stabilize the vessel.
-
He adjusted the rigging for the main topsail before setting sail in the morning.
Synonyms
4
9.9
A sail set above a lower sail on a mast to catch wind
is the sail set above the mainmast's lower sail not any mast
Surface Forms
main-topsail singular
main-topsails plural
Morphology
Etymology
Main-topsail comes from main ('main' or 'principal') and top + sail ('sail at the top'), so the name simply points to the sail set above the mainsail on the mainmast. That's why a main-topsail is the extra sail above the main sail that helps the ship catch more wind.