mainsail
7
8.0
A large cloth that catches the wind on the main mast of a sailing boat
- noun
- /ˈmeɪnseɪl/
- Specialized
:
vela mayor
- During the storm, the captain ordered the team to lower the mainsail to prevent damage.
- hoist the mainsail
- drop the mainsail
- trim the mainsail
Examples
-
Stand by to set the mainsail.
-
- Captain, hoist the mainsail.
-
As he climbs, the mainsail starts to fill with wind.
Fiction book (1992) -
There is a tear in the leech of our mainsail.
Fiction book (2001) -
Hail the mizzen and trim the mainsail.
-
Set the mainsail!
-
Hoist the mainsail!
-
I'll hoist the mainsail.
-
The mainsail was hoisted to the morning breeze; the Vargaz moved into the harbor of Vervodei.
Fiction book (1993) -
Kittiwake's mainsail shot up the mast, and her jib billowed free.
Fiction book (1994)
Synonyms
1
9.9
A large square sail set on a ship's main mast to catch the wind
is the chief lowest sail on the mainmast regardless of shape
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word mainsail is made of main (meaning 'chief') and sail, so it names the chief sail on a ship's main mast. That's why a mainsail is the biggest, lowest sail that does most of the work to move the boat.