brail
Americannoun
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Nautical. any of several horizontal lines fastened to the edge of a fore-and-aft sail or lateen sail, for gathering in the sail.
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a leather binding for a hawk's wings, to prohibit flight.
verb (used with object)
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Nautical.
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to gather or haul in (a sail) by means of brails (usually followed byup ).
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to transfer (fish) from a net to the hold of a ship.
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to bind (the wings of a bird) in order to prevent it from flying.
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of brail
1400–50; late Middle English, variant of brayell < Anglo-French braiel; Old French < Medieval Latin brācāle breechbelt, noun use of neuter of brācālis, equivalent to Latin brāc ( ae ) trousers (< Gaulish ) + -ālis -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The operator then pulls the handline and the brail lines cinch the net closed, capturing the bait.
From Time Magazine Archive
Other noteworthy features include a sectioned horn to separate the connecting brail lines, an oversized 11/0 crane swivel to eliminate twisting and extra reinforcement at all stress points.
From Time Magazine Archive
Several panels of mesh are woven together to form a circle with multiple brail lines-they attach to the lead line that circles the bottom of the net.
From Time Magazine Archive
Let her head off a bit now, and brail up that mainsail again.
From Picked up at Sea The Gold Miners of Minturne Creek by Hutcheson, John C. (John Conroy)
Clap the frying-pan down on deck, Tom, and brail the sail up with Jacob, there’s a good boy.
From Jacob Faithful by Marryat, Frederick
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
