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windjammer

windjammer

1 9.9
A large sailing ship with several masts and square sails
  • noun
  • /ˈwɪndˌdʒæmər/
  • Archaic
translation icon : vapor
  • In the late 19th century, many windjammers were used for both trade and passenger transport across the oceans.
  • windjammer cruise
  • windjammer under sail
  • windjammer fleet

Examples

  • I dream of sailing a 100ft windjammer, trading amongst the South Pacific isles and using sails to propel an anti-submarine warfare vessel that will deny blade count speed estimates to the enemy.

    Blog text (8)
  • Everyone sings aboard a windjammer, gentlemen.

  • If I ever take a cruise again (outside of island hopping), I want to try the windjammer concept.

    Blog text (34)
  • One of the last sailing ships with an iron hull, the four-masted windjammer Peking, was built in Germany around 1890.

    Blog text (19)
  • The windjammer Angelique is a beautiful sailing ship that offers tours along the coast of Maine.

  • During our vacation, we sailed on a historic windjammer that featured several tall masts and traditional square sails.

Synonyms

clipper
vswindjammer
  • Archaic
26 9.2

An old fast sailing ship with tall masts used to carry cargo long distances

focuses on speed and sleek design rather than many square sails
sailing ship
vswindjammer
7 2.9

A large ship moved by sails, usually with more than one mast

is specifically multi-masted and square-sailed from late 19th and early 20th centuries
clipper ship
vswindjammer
  • Archaic
5 7.0

A large fast sailing ship with tall masts used for long sea journeys

focuses on size and many square sails rather than speed
sailing vessel
vswindjammer
2 3.7

A boat with sails that uses wind to move

is a specific large multi-masted square-sailed type from late 19th and early 20th centuries
square-rigger
vswindjammer
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A ship with large square sails hung on horizontal bars across the masts

is arranged with many square sails across several masts as a defining feature

Surface Forms

windjammer singular
windjammers plural

Morphology

windjammer = wind + jammer (semi-transparent) = wind + jammer

The components 'wind' and 'jammer' are recognizable, but the compound's specific sense 'large sailing ship' is a specialised nautical term not directly inferable from the parts.

Etymology

A helpful way to remember the word windjammer is to see it as wind + jammer, a sailors' nickname for large ships full of sails that 'catch the wind'. So a windjammer is a big sailing ship that travels by wind.